


The Marauders Era

by MischiefManaged23



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:28:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 58,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27913045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MischiefManaged23/pseuds/MischiefManaged23
Summary: "I look at you and realize that every day I like you a little more than I did the day before. Not in a friendship way, but like you literally take some of my breath away every day, and if this goes on any longer, I don't think I have any air left in me to breathe.  But I'm okay with that because it means I get to see you."Cassiopeia Black, known as the only girl and the middle child amongst the three Black siblings, has always put her brothers and their safety above anything and has vowed to do so for as long as she shall live even if it means to enter an arranged marriage with someone from a Walburga-approved pureblood family. However, she quickly found out that he wasn't quite like she imagined.A Rabastian Lestrange Love story----------JilyWolfstarDorlene
Relationships: Alice Longbottom/Frank Longbottom, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Rabastan Lestrange/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 19





	1. 12 Grimmaulde Place

"Please, Cassie, come with me. You don't belong here. Neither of us does." Silence fell through the dark green room that was decorated with the colors of red and gold. On the wall hang multiple pictures taken with a wizard camera and some that looked to be taken with a muggle one. Most of them consisted of five people smiling and looked as if they had won a million galleons. Some of the pictures were occupied by two boys, one with glasses and rather messy hair while the other boy had dark curly hair.

However, there were also many pictures of the curly-haired boy and another boy with sandy blonde hair. One could tell that they were all great friends in the way they looked standing next to each other. However, one particular picture stood out the most. There were two children, with hair as dark as night and both with elegant curls. They were almost an exact copy of each other and couldn't have been more than six years old. The boy looked up and smiled a big mischievous smile that showed a few missing teeth, while the girl was making a funny face at the camera before giving a big smile.

"I remember that day. Andy wouldn't stop taking pictures because we looked so cute." A slight laugh escaped the younger twin. "Mother was furious, saying that was no way for a young lady and gentleman to behave." A look of longing lighted up her eyes, as of trying to relive the memory. "Cassie... "

She turned around and looked at her brother. It felt like someone was stabbing her heart with a knife. "Sirius, I can't. You know that, go and live with James. I'll visit if I can, but I have to stay here." Silence filled the room for a moment as she took hold of his hand and squeezed it gently. "He needs me, and I know no matter how much you want to leave, the thought of leaving him is hurting you. "

A small smile appeared on his face. It sometimes surprised him how well she knew him. She could look at him once and see that something was bothering him, there were times where he hated it, but he couldn't help but secretly love it. It was unbelievable how much his sister had grown over the years, from the little girl who used to follow him around all the time to a strong independable woman who would do anything for the people she loved. Including letting their parents marry her off to someone she didn't know, so they would let her brothers be. However, what worried him the most, was that now that he left, his sister's engagement would happen sooner than planned to cover the fact that the oldest child of the black family was disowned.

He told her that she could always do the same as Andy did and marry for love. But she said that this was the only way she could make sure that their brother would be safe. Sirius hoped for his sister that whoever she ended up marrying would treat her with the respect she deserves.

"I'll be fine. Besides, mother is dying to finally show off her wonderful pure-blood Slytherin son-in-law, so until they find the poor bloke, I'll be okay." Cassie smiled at her older brother before giving him a tight hug. She pulled away from her brother and smiled at him. "Promise you'll write to me?" A chuckle filled the room. " Of course, even I can only take so much of Prongs rambling about Evans."

He picked up his bags and gave her a smile before walking out of his bedroom. Cassie could hear his footsteps echoing down the stairs, and then a loud shriek filled the house. She listened to her mother and her brother yelling at each other before suddenly a loud noise was heard, and the front door was slammed shut. Tears started gathering in her eyes, and unwillingly the first one fell. Sitting down on her brother's bed, she took his pillow and hugged it close.

"CASSIOPEIA!!!" Her mother's voice echoed through the halls.

Cassie dried her tears and walked out of the room towards the staircase. On the way down, she met Kreacher's eyes and gave him a soft smile, he bowed his head, but a little smile could be seen. Even though they didn't share the same views on blood status, they still cared for one another. Reaching the end of the stairs, she walked through the narrow hallway before reaching the parlor.

The first thing Cassie saw as she entered the room was a tall woman with dark curly hair dressed in a long dark dress and wore a big necklace with the Black family crest. Walburga looked at her daughter as she entered and didn't bother hiding the scowl on her face as she saw what her daughter was wearing.

She hated that the muggles had a way of affecting her children; it didn't help that her oldest son found such pleasure in rebelling against her. Now that he was gone, she was happy that that problem was solved. However, no matter how much she thought of him as a blood traitor, he was still her son and a part of her pained with the loss of him. Nevertheless, she was a woman with too much pride ever to admit it.

"Yes, mother?" Cassie looked at the woman in front of her and couldn't help but wonder why she had been called. Her mother rarely talked to her children before dinner, as she was usually busy drinking tea and gossiping along with the other pure-blood wives of those who shared the same view as her on the matter of blood status.

"As you know, your 17th birthday is coming in a few months, and your father and I decided that it was time for you to get married."

It wasn't until then that she had noticed the other people in the room. In the corner sat her father in his big chair, with his legs crossed reading the daily prophet, while occasionally looking up and meeting the eyes of his daughter. On the dark green sofa that stood in the middle of the room sat her younger brother Regulus, his eyes flicking between his mother, his sister, and the other guests that she had yet to notice. Following her brother's gaze, she saw her cousin Bellatrix leaning up against the fireplace, looking at her with a wicked smirk on her face. Next to her stood a tall, dark-haired boy with the same wicked smirk and nasty look in his eyes as her cousin, Rodolphus Lestrange, Cassie thought right away as she saw her cousin's husband.

On the opposite couch of her brother, Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange sat in clothes that were befitting such a family and looked at her with something in their eyes that she couldn't quite describe. However, she had a feeling that it couldn't be any good. Next to them stood a tall boy, who she recognized as Rabastan Lestrange. She had seen the boy around the school, and during the last few weeks, had thought she heard her mother talking about him. He was, as she put it, the perfect Slytherin. He had been a part of the quidditch team, a prefect, and a member of Slughorn's club, though he had just graduated a few weeks ago. So the chances of seeing him in school were pretty slim, to say at least. Her eyes returned to her mother before landing on her father as he put away the prophet and met her gaze.

"We have an announcement to make. Our two families have agreed that you, Cassiopeia, and you, Rabastan, will be set to marry."

She looked at her father, countless thoughts and feelings went through her right now, but she wasn't able to sort out a single one of them. Cassie had hoped she would at least have until the end of next year before any engagement would come up. But it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. "Yes, father."

Her eyes swiftly flew over to where her brother sat, but he kept his gaze at the floor, refusing to meet hers. She knew that this was for the best, that this was the only way she could make sure that he would be safe. "The wedding will take place next summer." His grey eyes looked sternly upon his daughter. Cassie nodded her head and turned her gaze over to her future husband, who looked as if he wasn't quite sure if he should be there. Her legs moved closer to him until she was standing before him. Brown eyes met in a stare down that lasted a few moments.

That was before Rabastan put his right hand out for her to shake. She gave his hand an uncertain look before taking it and clasped it firmly. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Miss Black."

" Likewise, Mr. Lestrange, I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

* * *

Over the next few months, Cassiopeia endured her mother, who had grown to be even more of a pain. It almost seemed like she had forgotten about the child that she had not only months ago blasted off the family tree. As she practically danced around the house in the joy that her daughter was marrying into a respectable pureblood family. Truth be told, there was nothing Cassie wished for more than to be back on the train to Hogwarts, so she could see her brother and friends and get some peace and quiet from that bloody woman called her mother. 

She looked at the newest letter that had arrived only moments ago and smiled as she read about Peter and Remus's appearances at the Potter Manor. The letter told of the pranks they had played at James's father, of the mess they made while trying to bake a cake, and Dorea forcing them to clean up. And how they were going to buy Remus all the chocolate he wanted, to make up for the full moon that they missed while he had been home. Pulling out some parchment and a quill, she quickly replied. Signing her name, she folded the letter and tied it around the leg of her white owl Nova and watched as she flew out the open window and disappeared. A smile appeared on her mouth as she thought about her four mischievous friends and how she couldn't wait until she saw them again.


	2. You thought I was James, didn't you?

The summer went by faster than Cassie would have expected. Even though her mother was still going on about the wedding details, it wasn't nearly as bad as the first months. She thanked her father, who, one night, had had enough of her mother's nagging. She remembered him slamming his copy of the daily prophet at the dinner table and told her mother that he could care less of where the guests would sit and that if she didn't stop with all this wedding talk, he would lock her in their bedroom the day of the wedding and not let her out until it was over. Walburga looked at him, eyes wide, and just nodded her head, and after that, any talk about the wedding happened while her father was away.

A rattle broke Cassie out of her thoughts as she met the eyes of her owl Nova who looked almost insulted, having been put in her cage while her owner finished packing for Hogwarts. "Look, I know how much you hate being restricted, Nova, but you have to stay in there at least until we get to Hogsmeade." The owl gave what looked like to be a glare and then turned away. The girl let out a sigh as she closed her trunk, grabbed the handle, and made her way downstairs. At the bottom of the staircase, she saw a trunk with the letters R.A.B on it and instantly recognized it as her brothers. She sat down her trunk next to his and saw that they were pretty much identical except hers bore the letters C.H.B on it.

"Mother? When are we leaving?" A dark-haired boy said as he entered the hallway where his sister stood, giving her a small smile before grabbing his jacket and started to put one of his arms through the sleeves. The family's matriarch came walking out of a room that Cassie instantly recognized as her father's office. She walked towards the two siblings, got her dark green cloak, and proceeded to put it on.

"Right now." As the words left her mouth, her husband, who was putting on his dark cloak, walked out of his office and stopped giving them all a disinterested look.

"Regulus, you go with me, and Cassiopeia," Orion looked at his youngest son before moving the gaze to his daughter. " You will go with your mother."

Regulus grabbed the handle of his trunk and stood next to his father before putting his hand on the elder's arm. And then in a blink of an eye, they disapparated. The older woman grabbed her daughter's arm before giving her a look that the younger registered as _grab your trunk now, or we'll leave it behind_. She just managed to take the handle of the trunk before the hallway disappeared before her eyes, and the familiar feeling of apparation appeared.

When Cassie finally opened her eyes again, she was meet with the sight of hundreds of people. Most of them were standing with their families, saying their goodbyes, and that they would see each other again at Christmas. Others desperately tried to either find their friends or get on the train to find a compartment before they were all taken. Cassie's eyes traveled around the platform, searching for any familiar faces, when she saw a flash of red hair to her left.

Turning around, she saw both of her parents standing with Regulus, looking at him with a look of pride on their faces, as Regulus himself was busy talking to Crabbe and Rosier. When Regulus looked over to his sister, he gave her a slight nod as if signaling to go on. He knew that the less time his sister spend with their parents, the better it was.And from the looks of it, one would think that the heads of the black family had already forgotten about their only daughter, as they were currently in an intense conversation with Crabbe and Rosier's parents. It was quite obvious what they were talking about, as Cassie noticed the look of disgust that the group gave the other families.

Caching her brother's nod, She sent a smile towards him before turning around and ran to the person she had noticed not too long ago. Sprouting out a few apologizes here and there as she tried to manage her way through the crowd, it didn't take long before she caught the sight of her friend.

"Oy! Evans!!"

The red-haired girl turned away from her parents, with a look of alarm covering her face. However, as soon as she saw her dark-haired friend, her face relaxed, and a smile appeared.

"Oy! Black!"

As Cassie came closer, Lily threw herself at her friend and hugged her so tight that the older girl almost had trouble breathing. Pulling away, Lily let out a laugh, happy to see her friend again. She waved at her parents before pulling her friend closer to the train.

As soon as they walked through the door, they started searching for an unoccupied compartment. While walking, they passed a second year Ravenclaw who, if Cassie remembered correctly, was Gilderoy Lockhart. He was currently trying to impress a fourth year student with his charms. However, the girl looked absolutely not interested. After passing Frank along the way, who was looking for Alice, they managed to find one available. Lily closed the compartment door while the dark-haired girl started lifting their trunks to place them on the racks over their seats.

"Thank merlin that these trunks are charmed. Can you imagine how heavy they would have been if not?"

The red-haired gave her friend a smile before sitting down by the window.

"Actually, I can. Remember first year?"

Laughter filled the small room.

"I had almost forgotten. You looked like you were seconds away from being crushed by the trunk. Had not Ted walked by when he did, who knows what would have happened to you."

After Cassie put the last trunk on the racks and made sure that they would not fall, a small laugh escaped her lips as she remembered the start of their first year. When she sat down, she gave her friend a specific look and smiled teasingly at her.

"You thought I was James, didn't you?" Lily went red, and Cassie almost wanted to tease her but decided against it. "N-No, of course not." Another look was given to the girl.

"Okay, so maybe I did. But that's only because I was terrified that he would meet my parents again. Do you know what mum told me when we got home after picking me up for the summer holiday?" She cleared her throat for a moment before mimicking her mother to her best abilities. " _Oh Lily, how come you've never introduced us to that lovely boy earlier? Such a shame._ Then she asked dad if they should invite him and his parents over for tea. He was all for it. However, I manage to convince them that James and his parents were traveling for the summer."

At the end of her rabble, Lily's face matched the color of her hair. She would deny it if anyone ever mentioned it, but she couldn't help feel her face heat up as her friend mention the boy she had sworn to never see as anything but a bullying toerag.

"Lils come on," Cassie gave her friend a smug look. "Let's be serious for a moment."

A glare was given to her, and Cassie let out a sigh before running her fingers through her hair, a habit she had picked up from being too much with James. "No pun intended, okay?" She looked away before muttering under her breath. "They think it's funny anyway."

The next thing she knew, a chocolate bar came flying at her, hitting her in the head. Her eyes instantly moved towards the only other person in the compartment who didn't have a single bit of guilt masked on her face. Turning her gaze down at her lap, she was meet with the sight of her favorite muggle chocolate bar. Before Lily could even register it, her friend had ripped off the paper and started munching on it.

"You're lucky I even remembered stopping by the store for that. Petunia refused to go with us, saying that we had to drop her off at Vernon's house first. Thank merlin that there wasn't too much traffic." She said while pulling out a book. As the hour went by, the two Gryffindors occupied themselves with the new books they had gotten over the summer while discussing the different story lines and plots.

Just as Cassie finished tying her tie, the door to the compartment opened. And in came a mop of dark hair, with a big smile. 

"Ello ladies." 

The two girls looked at the intruder, or more like the intruders, as in came two boys. However, it didn't take long before there was only one standing. As soon as the oldest boy came in, he was tackled to the ground by the dark-haired girl, who was clinging on to him, holding on so tight he nearly had trouble breathing.

Even with the nearly blue face, he managed to get out a few words.

"I've missed you too, Cas, but if you hug me any tighter, you might not have an older brother to miss."

Sensing the urgency in his voice, his sister pulled away at once before standing up and reaching out her hand for him to take. Sirius took his sister's hand and swiftly got on his feet. Still holding her hand, he pulled it towards him in such a force that it sent Cassie flying into her brother's chest.

Lily looked at the two siblings, and she couldn't help but let a smile grace her lips. Sensing a gaze at her, she turned her head quickly to her left and met the hazel eyes of the boy she had been blushing over not 2 hours ago. James could feel his heart race slightly as Lily moved her head and met his gaze. He couldn't help but admire her beautiful red hair that had grown longer during the summer, or the way her emerald green eyes widened slightly when they meet his. However, he didn't notice the light blush that covered her face.

Pulling away from her brother, Cassie smiled at him before turning around and hugging the Potter boy as well. Having been best friends ever since first year, Sirius wasn't the only Black that was considered a part of the Potter family.

"Where's Remus and Peter?"

James sat down by the window and gave his two friends plus Lily a smile as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Peter forgot to buy something from the trolly, so he went chasing after it. Remus followed him, just to make sure that the old lady wouldn't be too scared by the 16-year boy trying to chase her down."

The compartment was filled with the laughter of the two siblings, who drowned out the small giggle that slip out of Lily.

"You sure he wasn't going just to get more chocolate?" Their eyes widened as if they just now realized what Remus's real reason for following Peter was: the girls burst out laughing at the boys' ignorance regarding their friend.

"Anyway, where have you guys been?" Sirius looked at his sister with a look that might as well had said, 'are you serious' his eyes met James for a split second before going back to the girl who was sitting right in front of him.

"Well.. you could say that we paid a little visit to some Slytherins." A mischievous look gleamed in his eyes. "Thanks for making sure no one took our compartment Cas. Otherwise, Prongs here would have had a breakdown".

"I would have not." James shot his best friend a glare before crossing his arms. "It would be like breaking tradition."

"This is our compartment."

Sirius nodded as if just to satisfy his friend, but mostly because he had already heard this speech probably about 20 times over the years.

" We've had it every single year since first year."

Lily gave the messy-haired boy a skeptical look.

"We even have our initials engraved right here!"

He pointed to the wall underneath the window. When Lily leaned in closer, she could indeed see the initials of five people. She gave her friend a look that said, _'i can't believe you did that_ ,' though Cassie just shrugged back as if signalizing that she really didn't care that much.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want to bore Evans with all this talk about tradition, now would you?"

Sirius said when he noticed that James was about to open his mouth yet again. The boy's face went red, and he quickly turned his gaze towards the window, looking at the passing scenery. Raising his eyebrow, Sirius sent a knowing smile to his younger sister, who cracked a laugh in return. After being apart for a few months, it was funny how quickly the two siblings got back into routine. One would almost think that they hadn't been apart at all.


	3. Are you serious?

"I can't believe you guys would even think that." Remus gave his friends a look between betrayal and, honestly, pure amusement. "Why would I chose chocolate over helping the old lady from being attacked by Peter?"

Sirius gave their friend his signature _are you serious_ look. Anyone who's ever met Remus would know of his infatuations with chocolate. "So, you didn't choose chocolate over her, then?" That shut Remus up almost instantly. A grin spread across Sirius's lips as he crossed his arms, raised a single eyebrow, and sent the other boy a knowing look.

"I never said that."

A glimpse of guilt struck the boy's face, and his eyes moved down to his food, staring hard at that one chicken piece. James sent the two boys a knowing smile, knowing that Remus didn't feel guilty at all. It was a known joke in their group that if any of them ever were to go to Azkaban, it would be Remus probably for trying to kill anyone denying or taking his chocolate. Without his permission, of course.

"You guys should have been there. If anyone scared the old lady, it wasn't me. Sure I ran towards her, but he was grilling her about all the different sorts of chocolate they had. Honestly, it was kind of scary." The rest of the boys laughed as they heard the true story of what happened. Looking up from his plate, he gave Peter a look and slightly shook his head, thinking that his friend would have his back.

"Well.. thank you for sharing that, Peter." His three grinning friends looked at him and laughed once more. The group snapped out of their little bobble as the doors to the great hall opened, and they could see all the new first years walk in. As they walked their way down the hall, Sirius couldn't help but lean into Remus.

"Were we that small when we started?"

Remus turned his head, so he was facing his whispering friend. And a small grin along with a slightly mischievous look covered his face as he leaned slightly closer and whispered back."If I remembered correctly, you were smaller." Sirius took a sharp breath, and he looked as if someone had insulted his entire life. Pulling away from his friend, he put his hand on his heart and gave a disbelieving look.

" _Take that back._ "

A smile grew on James's lips as he witnessed the banter between his two friends. Though he wasn't going to say it, he agreed with Remus. The former Black heir had been the shortest until he had hit his growing stage the summer before third year. James remembered it well, considering how much he used to tease his friend in second year as he was the taller. However, by the start of third year, Sirius thought it was an excellent choice to return James's favor and keep teasing him for months.After getting sick of the teasing, James decided to get back at his friend by getting Remus to teach him a shrinking spell. One day, while they were sitting in the great hall eating dinner, Sirius was as usually teasing James and talking about how tall he would be when he grew up, ignorant of the fact that James had whipped his wand out and muttered the spell underneath his breath.

_Without realizing it, Sirius started to shrink at the same time as he continued to brag about his growth spurt. Peter tried hard to keep a straight face but failed miserably, ending up laughing so hard that he almost fell off his seat. That stopped Sirius, who looked at his friend, trying to figure out the cause of his laughter._

_"What? Did something happen? Did Malfoy fall or something ?"_

_That only caused Peter to laugh harder, and at this point, even Remus had started to laugh a little, though he was a little more discreet than his friend. James just sat there, looking at his curly-haired friend, wearing a rather satisfied look on his face._

_"What did you say again, pads? How much did you grow?"_

_The confident look returned to the boy's face as he started yet another one of his rambles. That only made the two other boys laugh louder, Sirius who had now noticed that Remus was also laughing, looked at his friends with a look of confusion._

_"What? What is it?" His eyes wide, not understanding why Remus was having trouble catching his breath while Peter looked like he would almost wet his pants. "No seriously, What is it?"_

_A frustrated look covered his face, and that's when James lost it. His hand came slamming down at the table, looking down at his plate, with his shoulders shaking violently. He looked up at Sirius's frustrated face, along with his entire body that had shrunken, and laughter shot out of James's mouth once again. He couldn't help but let some words slip out._

_"Oh.. de... Oh, dear... Oh, merlin... You look... soo.. hahaha.."_

_He couldn't manage to continue before another wave of laughter came out. It all ended with a loud shriek echoed through the great hall when Sirius noticed that his body had shrunken. Even Professor McGonagall struggled to keep her face straight as she sat at the professor's table, looking over her house._

Just as the sorting started, James leaned a little bit over the table, trying to get the attention of his two friends.

"Pads, have you heard anything from her?"

The older boy let his eyes wander over to where his sister sat a few seats down, along with Lily, Alice, and their two dorm mates Dorcas and Marlene. He returned his gaze to the boys while shaking his head.

"No, I haven't been able to talk to her alone yet. But I wouldn't be surprised if it has happened. You know how they are." He looked at his food before taking another bite of his pie. Having heard no news about his sister's engagement, Sirius knew that it was only a matter of time before the word would spread. He knew without the confirmation from his sister that their mother was probably sitting at home at this very moment, planning everything along with the groom's mother.

"Suppose they already know?" Remus said while nodding towards the Slytherin table, where many students were already whispering while looking at Cassie. James, Sirius, and Peter all turned their heads facing the Slytherin table as well. However, Sirius met his younger brother's eyes, who sent his older brother a firm nod before turning back to his friends.The older boy let out a rather loud sigh, as it caused Remus to turn his gaze back to his friend.

"You okay?"

Amber eyes met grey, and Sirius knew that he couldn't lie to the young werewolf no matter what.

"I was right; she's already engaged to some prat. The Slytherins are whispering and gossiping as if you'd think you-know-who was here. Besides, Reg just gave me the nod." At this, James turned his full attention from a certain red-haired girl back to his two friends. Raising his eyebrows, he sent a curious look at them, wondering if he had just heard him right. "The _nod_? He gave you the _nod_?"

The nod had been a rather often occurrence in their younger years, however, the older the boys got, the more they drifted apart, and less the nod was used. As the two boys were sorted into two very different houses, it became their only way of communicating.However, the message was usually the same. _You're right._ It mostly happened when Sirius had told or warned the younger one about something that would end up being true; it became a _you're right_ sign. The three remaining members of The Marauders knew of this as well; they knew that Regulus had to be careful now when associating with his brother, but that didn't stop him.

The four boys broke out of their conversation as they realized that the other students were standing up from their seats and making their way out of the great hall. A small chuckle escaped Remus as he almost couldn't believe that they had drowned out the entire sorting ceremony. Grabbing his book with his right hand, he stood up and started to walk away. Though, it wasn't until he realized that he was walking alone that he turned around and looked at the other boys who were still sitting at the table looking all lost like they had no idea where they were.

"Are you guys coming?"

A smile graced his lips as the words snapped his friends back down to earth. They looked at him for a second before they looked at each other, jumped out of their seats, and darted over to the werewolf. Sirius, who reached him first, threw his arm over the prefect's shoulder and looked at the two other boys, shaking his head with disapproval as if they were taking too long to reach them.

Cassie stood up just in time to see her brother practically sprinting over to Remus. For a moment there, she was scared that he was going to tackle the younger boy, but thankfully he stopped just before he reached his target.Seeing him standing there with his arm around his friend's shoulders, shaking his head while smiling mischievous to the two other boys walking towards them, gave her a feeling of happiness.

"What are you smiling about?"

She felt an arm across her shoulders, and Alice's voice appeared, filled with both curiosity and a hint of teasing as she witnessed her friend smiling into thin air. Alice followed the girl's gaze to try and find out the source of her happiness and let out a smile herself when she saw the four boys known as the Marauders, standing there smiling at each other.

"So that's why. You missed him this summer, didn't you?" The look in Cassie's eyes said everything. She had indeed missed him those months, though she knew that it was for the best. Smiling at her friend, they started walking towards the exit of the great hall.

Just outside the entrance, they found their three other friends, having what looked like an intense conversation, or at least two of them were. Dorcas's hands flew immediately to the sky when she saw Cassie and Alice, making the remaining two wondering if their friend had gone bonkers as she was standing there waving like a mad man, before they also saw the two girls.

"I thought we had lost you two for a minute there." Marlene smiled at them. However, Cassie raised her eyebrow and gave her friend a small look. "Sure looked like you and Lily were waving your hands off as Dorcas did." Alice let out a chuckle as the five girls started their way towards the common room.

"At least they didn't fall off. Imagine Lily's reaction if they had just... fallen off."

"She would have screamed bloody murder, and James would have wondered who to kill."

Lily gave her roommates a disapproving glare. "Guys, stop it." She quickly moved her eyes, searching the corridor. "What if he hears you?"

"Well, I, for one, don't think he would have minded knowing that you thought about him." Dorcas sent the redhead a knowing smirk and heard Marlene let out a slight snicker. Lily's face burned red as she sent Dorcas one of her infamous Evans glare.

"But knowing James, I suppose it rather would have been him who screamed bloody murder at the sight of Dorcas's arms, or any one's arms disembodied for that matter." A big grin spread on Marlene's face as she saw that the remaining four cracked up and started laughing.

"Oh merlin, imagined if that happened. Wait... that would be the perfect prank." A knowing glint appeared in the brown eyes of the middle Black child, and a mischievous smile graced her lips as her friends looked at her as if she had grown a third head.


	4. Well, that's Sirius for you.

The common room, which usually was filled with many of its students, now stood almost empty. As the clock had struck twelve, most of the students had already retreated to their dormitories to catch up with their friends and get settled back into their room.The room didn't lack any spirit as the walls were decorated with warm colors of red and gold. Along with a few banners here and there, with the symbol of a lion on it. One look into the room, and you could immediately recognize it as Gryffindor common room. Currently, the only two people in there had occupied the sofa in front of the fireplace while watching the fire continued to burn and give off a soft warmth.

These past few months had been the longest the two had ever gone without seeing or properly talking to each other, between Cassies' newly founded engagement and their mother obsessively planning the most significant moment of her daughter's life, as she calls it. The opportunity to sneak off to James's house hadn't presented itself.

She let her eyes wander to his face and noticed the positive changes that the Potter manor had acquired him with. His hair had grown slightly longer while the dark rings under his eyes had disappeared. His skin now had a more healthy complexion, and the twinkle in his eyes had returned. He looked happier than he had been in a long time. Sirius turned to face his sister, his grey eyes met her brown, and a soft smile was sent her way. However, he felt the knot in this stomach grow slightly more prominent than before and let out a small sigh trying to figure out a way to make this somehow easier. Before he could even open his mouth, she beat him to it.

"You don't have to say anything, I know. I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong."

"Cassie.." She shook her head, took his hand in hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze, the look she gave him was full of determination. He didn't want to bring it up. He didn't even want to think about it, but during the summer, Remus had told him that there was nothing that they could do. However, talking about it might make it easier for her. At least she would know that he supported her no matter what happened. Remus had also said that sometimes the only thing that helps is talking about it. Pretending that it never happened or that it won't happen will only make it worse.

"It would have happened sooner or later, we all know that. And trust me with this, it could have been worse." Her eyes left his face as her voice trailed off. She hadn't heard anything from Rabastan since the moment their engagement had been announced. However, it wasn't as if she had tried to contact him herself. Not that she would let her mother know about that.

She knew that just because he was a Lestrange didn't necessarily mean that he was the same as his brother, and she hoped that was the case. Though she wouldn't admit it, her mind wandered to him from time to time; she wondered what he thought about this arrangement. Did he also agree to be put in an arranged marriage to please their parents? Most likely, as it was quite usual with the pureblood families, whose goal was to keep their blood as pure as possible.

She could live with spending the rest of her life with someone who might or might not come to love or like her. But what she couldn't live with was that her older brother felt guilty and blamed himself. Most of the letters from Remus over the time he had been at the Potter manor had been about Sirius. She understood that it wasn't like he could talk to James, he was a terrible liar, and he couldn't keep a secret even if his life depended on it. Not that Remus would have had any problem, he was the one that could bullshit his way out of anything. Along with Peter, an excellent liar, those two managed to keep the group out of trouble.

Most times.

"What do you mean? It could have been worse." Her eyes meet his again as his face bore an unreadable expression. She meant that it could have been worse. However, the news that she was engaged to the brother-in-law of their crazy cousin might not sit in the best place. "It's not Snape, right? Please don't tell me it's Snape."

The words came out so abrupt that Cassie wasn't sure if she had even heard him right. Sirius took her silence as an answer and began a long rant about how in merlins' name could it have been worse. He stood up and started anxiously walking back and forth, panicking about the idea of his sister with that greasy haired git. While he was spurting out mumbles like git and never happening and save my dear sister. Cassie just sat there, not quite believing what she was hearing nor what she saw. "Wha-, are you serious right now?"

"Sirius?"

He ran his hands through his curls and continued to rant, ignoring his sister. The worst part was that he could see it, he could already envision their wedding, and honestly, Sirius had never felt the urge to burn his eyes out as severely as at that moment. Anyone... there had to be anyone else other than Snivellus, had his parents officially gone mad after he moved out?

"No... That's not.. no. Oh, Merlin, my precious darling sister and - and... that. No, just no"

"I won't allow that slimy git near my dear darling sister. I swear to you, merlin, I will give you my beloved hair if you can stop this madness."He looked up at the ceiling and pointed dramatically at it as if Merlin himself were hovering above them, amused by the dramatic sixteen-year-old boy." Merlin! I'll jump off the astronomy tower!" he exclaimed as he furiously ran his hands through his hair-

Biting her lower lip, the girl turned her head away for a moment as a grin threatened to appear; however, the sight of her brother having a dramatical outburst amused her more than she thought possible, and it wasn't long until her grin broke through and decided that it might be best, though not as fun, to put the poor boy out of his misery. 

"Sirius...You do know that Snape is a half-blood, right?"

\-----------------------------------------

"And then what happened?"

"Well, first of all, he hugged me for a bloody long time. Then his face turned red, and he started sprouting out that; of course, he knew that and that he was just kidding with me. Changed the conversation rather quickly if I might say so, don't think I've seen him so worked up for a while."

A burst of soft laughter filled the air in the small corner of the library. Having found a slightly hidden part of the library in their previous years, it became a usual studying spot for the group of friends as it allowed them to talk without being too worried that Madam Pince would hear them. In the center of the room stood a rather old long table that was for the moment covered in all sorts of magical books and what looked like papers that were on their way to becoming assignments. Three of the chairs surrounding the table were currently filled by three Gryffindors trying to work on their charms essay.

"Well, that's Sirius for you." James looked up from his essay for a moment and let a small smile cover his face. "When it becomes too much for him, he resorts to actions rather than words. That, and we all know he's a giant drama queen." He ran his hand through his hair, making it messier than it already was. "By the way, have any of you actually seen him?".

A thoughtful look covered Cassie's face until she shook her head slightly. "No, not since Charms class this morning."

A brief snort was heard, and the two immediately turned their gaze towards the culprit, who was trying to hide an unmistakable grin and failing miserably. "He and Pete got detentions during Transfigurations. They thought that the Slytherins would look wonderful with some new pink robes and a new hairdo along with a hat. However, professor Mcgonagall thought that it was unacceptable, though she did look a bit impressed when the hats started to sing."

His grin widened as he thought about their two friends who, at this very moment, was stuck in detention along with Filch cleaning the trophies without magic. In all secret, Remus had been the one to suggest the prank to Sirius.However, the moment the prank had gone off, he suddenly found his transfiguration book far more interesting, and after years of training, he had mastered the oh Merlin, what just happened? look. So to say that he fooled Professor McGonagall would be an understatement. Remus could sometimes be the worst of the marauders, but he was a genius with getting away with it.

This, however, was well-known within their group, which was why James was looking at the sandy-haired boy with his eyebrow raised slightly and his lips drawn up in a slight smirk. "Aha, so... Moony, might want to tell me how you managed to get out of that one?"

"Yeah... Not really"

"Thought so." Remus's face flushed as he turned his attention back to his essay. James's smirk widened, and he met the gaze of Cassie, who was smiling. 

She shook her head and let out a slight chuckle before returning her focus to her homework. Or at least tried to, she had been stuck at the same part for almost a half-hour, and she knew that there was no way she would be able to continue until she could talk to Lily and get some tips. Her fingers caught the loose strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail and pushed them behind her ear; her eyes followed her quill as it moved over a different parchment, drawing the outlines of what looked like to be a quaffle. After the quaffle was done, she moved over to the bludgers and the snitch, and so she was well on her way, drawing the quidditch pitch itself.

She liked charms, she did. But sometimes, it was as if charms didn't like her. Her strength had always been Defence Against The Dark Arts, which was slightly ironic considering her family, although she did enjoy some potion making here and there. However, at this very moment, charms didn't like her at all. It seemed to despise her, which only made her frustrated and a lot more easily distracted, what she would have given to get out of this torture.

"You guys want to go to the kitchen?" Remus asked as he closed his charms book and grabbed his quill, putting them back in their case and into his bag.

"Bloody, yes."

"Thank Merlin. I thought you'd never ask." James and Cassie moved quickly out of their seats and went straight to the library entrance. Remus had not seen the duo move that fast since the time Lily had once brought some muggle chocolate with her. A smile spread over his face; while slightly shaking his head, he took his bag and exited the hidden room. 

Those two were impossible, but he wouldn't have it any other way.


	5. Dear Rabastan

_"Dear Rabastan,_

_I know we haven't spoken since our engagement was announced, and I suppose I am partially to blame. For that, I apologize._

_I would like to, if possible, for us to spend some time together and get to know one another._

_Have a nice day._

_Sincerely_

_Cassiopeia Black"_

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Cassie signed the letter with her elegant handwriting and let her eyes dance over the words to make sure that nothing was out of place or that anything sounded too outrageous. Still, she found it hard to believe that she was doing this. She folded the letter and gently put it in an envelope, once sealed; she turned it around and wrote Rabastans name along with the Lestrange manor address. Tying the letter on Nova's foot, she opened the dormitory window so her owl could fly out before the dark-haired could get the chance to change her mind. She let out a slight sigh and crossed the floor, making her way toward her bed.

A groan filled the room as she let herself drop face-first into her bed, spreading both her arms and legs, looking awfully like a wannabe sea star, as Lily calls it. Letting out another groan, Cassie relished in the fact that her mother was miles away and that she now could groan as much as she wanted and slouch as much as she would like, and do things that were not acceptable in the ancient and noble house of Black.

"You feeling okay, Cas?" A gentle voice filled the room as someone entered, leaving Cassie to no longer be the only person in the dormitory. However, as her face was buried in her sheets, any reply came out as a bunch of mumbles and misformed sentences.

Lily gave her friend a slight glance as she shuffled over to her bed, placed her potions homework on top of her trunk, taking off her shoes as well as her socks, and proceeded to climb on top of her bed. Turning towards her friend, she found herself a comfortable sitting position, all while a familiar glint grew in the red-heads eyes. Fingers grabbed hold of a blue-colored pillow and, with quite a force sending it flying across the small distance between their beds and hit the mark, being the other girl's head, making yet another groan fill the room.

"Seweosly?"

A grin covered Lily's face as she heard her friend's response. The dark-haired girl slightly raised her head while sending her friend the infamous Black glare.

"Well, hello to you too, sleeping beauty, now would you like to tell me what's bothering you on this wonderful morning."

Knowing her friend would not stop before her question had been answered, Cassie, against her own will, managed to slowly lift her body, turning so she was facing Lily, and pulled the blue pillow closer to her, holding on tight. The way she was feeling could not truly be described in words. But if you were to try, there is one word one could say was pretty close.

Mortified.

She hoped with all her heart that he did not reply, just so that she didn't have to go through the embarrassment of having to answer him. Her brown eyes meet the green of her friend, and she immediately felt a slight shame wash over her, but that was overtaken by the sudden color of red that overtook most of her face.

"Merlin, what happened to you?" Lily's eyes widened significantly, "I don't think I've seen your face that red since fourth year when you had a crush on Wood."

Furring her eyebrows, she took a deep breath before opening her mouth. It almost looked as if she was trying to test the words on her lips before she would say them out loud. However, it was as if a stroke of bravery hit her and made her vocal cords sing. "I.. well, I wrote a letter..."

"And?" Lily nodded her head slowly, not quite knowing where her friend was going with this.

"It was.. for R..." She trailed off, letting her sentence end in a bunch of mumbles. In another situation, the look on Lily's face would have been hilarious, her eyebrows furred together in a solid line while squinting her eyes hard as she moved her upper body slightly back and forth. Taking a deep breath, this time, Cassie let the words flow out of her mouth.

"I sent a letter to Rabastan." Her hands covered her mouth in shock; actually, her entire face screamed shock. And she was not the only one. A sudden thud was heard, and a bundle of blankets now occupied the floor along with Lily, who was moaning in pain.

"You did what?!"

Lily looked up from the floor, slightly startled, shaking her head, signalizing that it was not her who had spoken. Turning their heads towards the entrance door, the two girls met their slightly overexcited friends, who were known as their roommates. Or as Sirius would like to call them, Alice and the two Hogwarts gossipers. Dorcas let go of Marlene's hand and made her way to her designated bed before dropping down her herbology books. She ran her fingers through her black curls before moving them to her tie and started to untie it.

Since Alice's bed was the closest to the door, she just sat down her bag before walking over to Lily's bed and made herself comfortable there, but not before sending her friend on the floor a slightly curious yet questioning look. "You having fun down there?"

"Very. Just thought the floor could use some love too."

Alice shook her head in disbelief as a small smile covered her lips. She had often wondered about Lily's sanity, as she sometimes could get herself into the strangest situations. The dark-haired girl felt the bed drop and moved her gaze slightly to the left, finding Marlene, who had fallen face-first into the bed and laid on her stomach.

While the two girls had occupied Lily's bed, Dorcas had placed herself at the end of her own bed and was sitting with her legs crossed facing her friends. Cassie had backed up to her headboard and was sitting hugging Lily's pillow. At the same time, Lily was still sitting on the floor between Cassie's bed and her own.

Marlene leaned slightly forward before opening her mouth. "So.. you sent him a letter? Like an actual letter?" A brief sound escaped Dorcas's lips as she stared at her girlfriend in disbelief.

"No, she sent him a howler. Of course, she sent him a letter." Suddenly, Dorcas's eyes flew over to her friend's brown ones, and stared at her in disbelief. "Wait... you actually sent him a letter? Are you okay?"

Cassie burst out laughing so sudden that the four other girls were slightly frightened by her, especially Alice, whose body made a small jump at the sudden sound. Marlene's eyes meet Lily's for a moment as they heard their friends laughter becoming louder and, for the lack of a better term, crazier. A mutual understanding was shared, or rather a mutual concern for their friend's sanity, that is.

"Of course, I am okay. It is not like I bloody died." She continued to laugh just as loud and just as uncontrollable as before. At this moment, they were all looking at each other in pure concern for their friend. That is until Dorcas's eyes widened, and her face was lighted with shock.

"Merlin Cas, you sound just like your mother right now."

Everyone who knew Cassie knew that there was nothing she hated more than being compared to her pureblood loving mother. And they all knew from Sirius that their laughter was the same, just as loud and uncontrollable and crazy sounding. Suddenly silence filled the room, not only because the laughter had stopped, but because no-one dared to say anything in fear of it starting again. They had no problem with Cassie laughing. They loved it because sometimes she truly had the most ridiculous laugher. However, there were moments like these when her laugh sounded so much like her mother's, which scared them a little.

Her face was blank of any emotion. However, small breaths exited as her chest went up and down, and her face was slowly losing the redness in her cheeks. She closed her eyes and leaned her head backward, hitting the headboard in the process. A small chuckle escaped her lips as her right hand made it way up to gently rub the little bump that was starting to swell. A few minutes passed before she opened her eyes again and saw her friends staring rather intensely at her, wondering if their friend felt alright. She didn't even need to ask them to know that was what they were thinking about. Having shared a room for five, going on six years now made it slightly easy to read them sometimes.

"I am fine now. Thank you, Dorcas." A smile spread on her lips as she looked at her friend, who's smile was full of relief spread across her face. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Marlene rolled ungracefully off the bed and shuffled over to Cassie. She moved her way up the bed and made herself comfortable against the headboard next to her friend. Raising her arm, she brought it over the dark-haired girl's shoulders and pulled her into a side hug. Cassie let her head rest on her friend's shoulder as she embraced the feeling of being comforted.

"It will be alright, Cas, it will be alright."

"Maybe he feels the same, and that's why he hasn't made any contact?" Alice's voice came out gentle and was laced with curiosity as she asked. "He might be as worried about it as you are."

Cassie wished that was the case; however, the thoughts circling her mind were nothing like what her friends had voiced. Honestly, the most significant thought was, _what did he think of her? How did he feel being engaged to a Gryffindor?_

The fact that she, along with Sirius, was sorted into Gryffindor was a disgrace to their parents. The Lestrange was just as prejudice and pureblood loving as her parents, which made her wonder what Rabastan might think. Would he look down at her or judge her for not being sorted into Slytherin?

"Maybe he never wrote because he dislikes the fact that he's not engaged to someone who was sorted into Slytherin."

A sudden tapping was heard throughout the room and made the five girls move their gaze towards one of the windows, where they saw a dark grey owl was sitting, waiting to be let into the warmth. Lily pulled herself up from the floor and moved her shaking newly awakened legs towards the window and opened it slightly, letting the owl fly in. He went straight for the white bowl with treats that stood next to Nova's cage and started to eat them one by one. A creme colored envelop caught Lily's attention as she walked closer and untied the thread around the owl's foot before taking the envelope and studying it.

"Aw, aren't you a cutie." Cassie gently let her fingers stroke the soft grey feathers as she stared at the owl with a small smile.

"Hey Cassie" She looked up from the owl and met the green eyes of her best friend, who had an unreadable look on her face. Lily held up the letter for everyone to see. "It is for you."

Her fingers grasped the edges as she took it slowly from Lilys hand. Her eyes not leaving her friends before the envelope was in her own hands and turned her gaze own to the elegant writing of her name, turning the paper she found yet another elegant writing just above a green wax seal. Cassie felt as if all air had been sucked out of her lungs, and a slight feeling of panic started to grow in the pit of her stomach.

"It's from him." She quickly raised her head to face the other girls. "It's Rabastan"


	6. Truly?

"-be sure to remember the last part, that is essential. And don't forget to hand in your essays on Thursday."

Professor Slughorn let his gaze wander across the potions classroom, glancing at each student before letting them gather their things and be on their way. The familiar colors of Gryffindor and Slytherin blended as each student did the best they could to get out of the classroom as soon as possible, in hopes of being able to catch up with their friends. However, not everyone was just as eager. A certain Gryffindor didn't rush as much as the others but instead took her time when she packed her quill and ink back into their box. Unfortunately, the cap of the ink bottle didn't quite agree with her this afternoon.

"Oh, Miss Black, if I might have a moment."

Cassie looked up from her bottle, met her professor's eyes, and immediately straightened her back. A smile was evident on his face, and he looked genuinely happy, for what reason Cassie didn't know, but there was a small idea that danced in the back of her mind. "Yes, professor?"

"I am having a small dinner party on Saturday, for my most exceeded students, and I would be quite pleased if you came." A smile spread across her lips, and a small feeling of excitement filled her. As strange as it might have sounded for some people, Cassie immensely enjoyed the meetings and parties that came with being a member of the Slug Club. It also didn't hurt that she was positive that Lily also had gotten the same invitation along with Remus. And it was always interesting to see who the potion master had invited to his gatherings.

"Of course, professor, I would love to." His smile grew as he heard the words coming out of her mouth. "Splendid, look for my owl." He gave her one last look before walking out of the classroom.

Now alone, she returned her gaze to her ink bottle. Just as she placed the cap on and started to screw, the cap slipped off and fell to the floor, though not before spilling out some ink. She let out an annoyed sigh before bending down and picked it up.

"Sweet Merlin, can't you just for once do as I ask?"

After a few more tries, the cap was successfully put on the bottle. A sweet smile spread across her lips as she put the bottle in her bag, lifted the strap onto her shoulder, and moved towards the door. While walking the corridor, she looked down at her hands to inspect the damage the ink had done to her. It wasn't too bad. There were some spots on her hands, some bigger than she would have liked but nothing that couldn't wait until later that evening.

"Unlucky in Potions today?"

A swift chuckle filled the air, while Cassie sent the boy, who appeared almost magically next to her, a slight glare before shaking her head.

"Just the cap of the ink bottle that wouldn't quite agree with me." She held up her hands, showing Remus her misfortune of the day.

Truth be told, it just wasn't entirely her day; during breakfast, she had spilled some pumpkin juice on her shirt, though she had managed to get the stain out with a little spell. And on her way to potions class, she managed to bump into a 7th year Hufflepuff, making both of them drop their books. Although the blonde-haired girl smiled and assured her that it was okay, Cassie still felt horrible, seeing how many loose papers the older girl had been carrying.

"So... have you read the letter yet?" That sentence almost made Cassie stop in her tracks. She sent Remus a suspicious glance before crossing her hands over her chest.

"How do you know about the letter?"

A look of slight amusement was evident on his face while his eyes flew across the corridor, not meeting his friend's eyes. "Why, a little birdy told me." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she this time did stop in her tracks and gave Remus the infamous Black glare. "Lily told you, didn't she?"

He made a face that pretty much said: _well... yes, but don't kill us_. She let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. All being said, she knew how Lily was sometimes, and she couldn't blame her for telling Remus. With all the mothering instinct Lily had, cassie was sure that she would be an amazing mother one day. However, sometimes she wished that it was possible for Lily to just turn it down a notch.

"It's okay, I understand. And honestly about the letter-" Suddenly a black blur came flying towards Cassie, almost tackling her. Before she would even comprehend what was happening, the said blur started blabbering about something that Cassie couldn't quite catch.

"-angry with her; she only wanted the best for you. You know how amazing she is. Such a wonderful, amazing person wouldn't ever want to hurt you. She only wanted the best for you. Please don't be angry with her." Remus and Cassie shared a quick look before looking back at the babbling mess that was James Potter.

"James... how did you even know that I knew Lily had told you?" His eyes darted between the two Gryffindor's as he gave himself a minute to regain the composure that he had lost from running from the quidditch pitch to the dungeons. "Because I know that if you knew that we knew without you knowing, then you would go all Walburga on us."

Remus looked at James before meeting Cassie's eyes for a split second before returning his gaze to his friend. However, one could say that he was at a total loss for whatever it was that the dark-haired boy had tried to say.

" Wait. What?"

James ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to recall what it was he had just said, and for a moment, thought of a way to repeat it without sounding like he had gone bonkers.

"Prongs, I think you have finally lost your mind." Turning his head slightly around, James met his best friend's grey eyes, who was looking at him with the same glint in his eyes as he usually got whenever they were planning pranks. Sirius gave his friend a good pat on his shoulder before meeting the eyes of a particular person, and though he tried not to, he could help but let a smile cover his lips. He moved his eyes around the hallway for a few seconds before looking at his sister. "So... the letter, huh?"

A rather loud groan filled the corridor as Cassie gave her brother a look. And before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out of her mouth. "Are you serious?"

A smile spread impossibly fast across his lips as a wicked gleam shined brightly in his eyes. Remus, however, hid his smile behind his facepalm. Although Sirius was an idiot sometimes, he knew that he wouldn't want him to be any different. "Why, yes, I am. I would be quite worried if you didn't know who I was."

James shook his head and gave the curly-haired boy a good slap on his back, making the boy stumble slightly. "Oh, trust me, you'd never let us live it down if that were to happen."

"Truer words have never been spoken." Sirius shot a glance at Remus. Both his eyes and mouth widened while he moved his left hand to place it on top of his heart. "You wound me Moony, truly."

A smirk spread over the prefect's face. At the same time, his eyes shone with both joy and mischief. "Truly?" "Truly" Sirius raised a single eyebrow while fighting off the rather broad smile that threatened to break out, however failing miserably. James looked at them both before running his fingers through his hair; however, his eyes quickly changed from amusement to worry. Although they weren't blood-related, Cassie was as good as his sister.

"Anyway... about the letter?"

She took a deep breath. Truth be told. The letter had not been opened yet, and as much as she wanted to read it, she knew that no matter what happened, life would not be the same afterward. However, that did not mean that the letter was lying on her nightstand in her dormitory. Knowing how curious Dorcas was, she didn't dare to let it just lay there. Therefore she had been carrying it around ever since it arrived yesterday.

"Oh. Look at the time. I am supposed to meet Marlene for charms." She looked at her wrist before giving them a wave and departed the corridor so fast, Remus thought he almost saw smoke rising from behind her.

"You think she's okay?" Remus and Sirius looked at each other for a minute before looking at James. Sirius shook his head softly as he placed his arms on his two friends' shoulders, guiding them down the hallway. "She's my sister. Just let her freak out for a little while, then she will be fine."

Remus let out a snort, while a grin grew on James's face. "Well, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"


	7. A magical makeover

After spending a few hours not only hiding from her brother but also working up the courage to finally kill her curiosity, Cassie felt relief fill her when she noticed the nearly empty common room. Two second years were playing exploding snap while a fifth year was reading quidditch through the ages. Placing her bag on the floor, she sat down in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. Truth be told, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this stupid. It's just a bloody letter, for merlin's sake. Cassie thought while she stared at the elegant writing that was her name.

"Bloody hell," She muttered out softly before turning the letter around and opened it. She let her eyes dance over the letter while taking in the handwriting, and for a moment, a silly little moment, she wondered if Rabastian also had had lessons in how to write elegantly when he was younger. As their mother had forced Sirius, Regulus, and herself to attend, stating that no member of the noble house of Black should be seen with scrawny or plain handwriting. It felt as if the air had left her body momentarily.

_Dear Cassiopeia_

_You should know that I am pleased that you wrote to me. I had been thinking about writing you a letter for the past few days but unsure where to start. The fault is equally mine as it is yours, so please do not worry._

_Are you available for your first Hogsmeade trip? If so, please let me know, and I will make arrangements to meet you there._

_Sincerely_

_Rabastian Lestrange_

To say Cassie was shocked could be an understatement; however, she felt a small ray of happiness fill her. All though relief was the feeling that dominated everything for the moment. She made a mental note to reply to his letter when she went up to her dormitory later, but for now, she would relish in the fact that it was not as scary as she thought it would be. Closing her eyes and letting her body relax properly since the letter's arrival, she drifted off to a small nap that was heavily needed.

A half-hour later, Alice walked into the common room along with Frank. Her face glowed with joy as she looked at her boyfriend, who looked at her the same way. Having just gotten together before the summer holiday, they were still in the newly in love phase. The brunette let out a small giggle when she saw her sleeping friend by the fire and made her way over with Frank in tow. While he sat down on the couch, Alice kneeled in front of her friend, placed her hand on the girl's arm, and shook it gently.

"Cas? Wake up" She gave her friend another shook and retreated her hand when she saw Cassie's eyes slowly start to open. "Hey, sleepyhead."

Cassie let out a yawn as she rubbed her eyes "Hey, Ali." Turning her head slightly, she saw the light brown-haired boy she knew quite well. "Hey Frank, what's the time?"

He raised his hand to look at his watch. "It's almost time for dinner." Alice stood up and moved over to the couch where her boyfriend sat and placed herself next to him. It was first now she noticed the opened letter that was lying in her friend's lap. And although Alice wasn't as curious as Dorcas, she couldn't help but let the next words fall out of her mouth. "You read the letter?"

Cassie looked down at the said letter and nodded her head. She lifted her eyes and met Alice's excited gaze. "Yeah. He wants to meet in Hogsmead during our first trip." A brilliant smile covered Alice's face as her entire body screamed excitement. "Oh, that's brilliant, Cas. The Hogsmeade list was posted earlier today, and the first trip is on the first weekend of October."

Cassie ran her hand through her dark curls. The first weekend of October was, in fact, the next weekend; in a way, it fitted perfectly. However, she hoped that he wouldn't mind tagging along to some shopping, seeing as she needed more ink as most of her bottle was currently stained on her hands, and she needed a few things for quidditch.

"Ali? Could you help me with that?" A warm smile was sent her way. "Of course, we will gather up the girls and give you a makeover so magical he would think a bludger hit him" Her eyes shone brightly in excitement, and a warm smile seemed almost permanent on her face. Frank laughed at his girlfriend's enthusiasm and was genuinely hoping that the girls wouldn't go too overboard on the makeover, as he remembered the time Alice had been given a makeover in third year, looking a bit disastrous. The said girl looked at him, wondering why on earth he was laughing.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Oh, I just remembered that time in third year when the girls gave you..." The look on Alice's face immediately shut Frank up. A single eyebrow was raised while her eyes had narrowed, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see Cassie shaking her head while trying her hardest to keep her face neutral. "That never happened. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"What never happened?" A voice said behind the couch, making the couple turn around to see who it was. Without the trio noticing it, Lily had seen them when she came down the stairs to the girls' dormitory and decided to see what her friends were up to. Cassie's eyes immediately found the green eyes of her friend, and a wicked smile grew on her lips as she raised a finger and pointed right at the redhead. "I know what you did."

Lilys eyes widened before she gave her friend an apologetic smile. "Yeah... I'm sorry." Her eyes moved quickly down to her friend's lap before turning her gaze up. "Although I see you have open it. So... what did he say?" Cassie let out a soft laugh, honestly feeling a bit ridiculous for having worried so much about the letter.

"I'm meeting him in Hogsmeade next weekend."

A warm smile graced Lily's face as happiness filled her. Although she didn't know Rabastian, she, along with everyone else, knew of the family. However, she hoped with everything that she had, that somehow those two would manage to figure it out and hopefully live a good life together or at least as good as possible.

"And we are giving her a makeover, a magical makeover." Alice smiled at Lily before sending a glare towards her boyfriend. At first, Lily was somewhat confused; however, one look at Cassie, who had trouble keeping her composure, and by the look of Frank's both guilty and terrified face, her question was answered. And she honestly couldn't help but let a small laugh escape her lips.

It was during their third year when a fourth year Ravenclaw had asked Alice out. And having watched a few muggle movies over the summer, she wanted to experience the well-known makeover before the big date. However, that didn't go quite as well as she had hoped. Being only thirteen, none of the girls had very much experience with makeup, so the result was fascinating, to say at least. Alice had been thrilled though she had noticed that none of The Marauders or Frank could look her in the eye without laughing. It wasn't until the date that she truly noticed it.

The Ravenclaw boy hardly looked at her and didn't seem as interested as he did before, and told her that a second date wasn't necessary at all, although she was heartbroken, she knew that she couldn't blame her friends, seeing as all of them, including her, had thought she looked great. It was that day that they all realized that none of them were any good at makeup. However, that was before learning beauty spells and before all their hours sitting in their dormitory practicing at each other, vowing never to let it happen again nor speak of it.

Looking down at her watch, Lily thought that this was the perfect time for a distraction. Merlin knows what Alice would do with Frank if not. "Anyway, would any of you want to join me for dinner?" Cassie was on her feet faster than anyone could say quidditch and was already by Lilys side before the duo even had the chance to stand up.

"Well, I suppose that answers it." A warm smile filled Lilys face as she joined the laughing duo. Cassie only shook her head while a grin rested on her lips as they all made their way towards the great hall.


	8. To Hogsmeade, of course.

Sirius sank back in his chair and let out a sigh. One would think it was his herbology essay that was troubling him or that he was spending his Friday evening in the library. However, that was not the case. Tomorrow was the day his little sister was going on her date with her future husband. Just that sentence alone was enough to give him nightmares. Over the past week, he had been trying to get his roommates to go along with his plan to crash the date. However, James shook his head, saying that he didn't want to be on either Cassie's or Lily's kill list; Peter refused because he didn't want Cassie to be mad at him. Frank was trying to get back into Alice's good graces and wouldn't dare to do anything that meant spoiling the magical makeover's purpose. While Remus had just rolled his eyes and returned to the book he had been reading.

For a moment, Sirius had even considered asking his sister's roommates. However, when he mentioned it, Lily's glare was enough to make him drop that idea relatively fast. All said, he had no idea what to do, which again frustrated him to no end, making him let out another sigh.

"Merlins beard Sirius, that's the 11th time in a half-hour. Are you trying to make me come over there and strangle you?" Remus's usually light amber eyes had darkened significantly, and his pale face seemed tired and somewhat annoyed. A strike of guilt immediately filled the curly-haired boy, Remus had gotten released from the hospital wing earlier that day, and the first thing he did was going to the library to make up for the work he lost.

Although he did have the notes, his friends made him, and as much as he was grateful for them, for he was, there were always one or two things that they forgot to write down or had trouble understanding, depending on the subject. However, he should have known that letting Sirius join him wasn't the best idea, as his emotions still hadn't settled back into normal. With the full moon having been just three days earlier, they were all over the place, and patience was not his best quality right now.

"I'm sorry, Remus." The sandy-haired boy rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh himself when he saw the guilty look on his friend's face. "No. I'm sorry for snapping at you. My mood hasn't been the greatest today."

Remus let his eyes linger for a moment on Sirius's face, kicking himself for not noticing the dark rings that were growing under his grey eyes. "Is it bothering you that much?" The dark-haired boy leaned his head back, closing his eyes and let his mind fly around for a moment. Several things were bothering him. Apart from his sister, there was also his brother, who he had seen wandering the corridors along with Crabbe, Rosier, and Snape more often than he would have liked.

Not to mention the hours he had spent at the hospital wing for the last few days. A tiny smile, one that Remus missed, covered his lips as he thought back to yesterday when Madam Pomfrey was inches away from hexing him out of the wing. When he finally returned to the dormitory yesterday evening for the first time since the full moon, Peter took one look at him before turning to James and asked him.

_"Do you know this one, Prongs?"_ _James lifted his eyes from the map, staring at the tired-looking boy standing by the entrance, and smiled a somewhat mischievous smile as Sirius recalled._ _"No, can't say I do. But he does look awfully familiar, Pete, don't you think?"_ _Peter squinted his eyes while looking at Sirius for a moment before he let out a gasp."_ _Merlin, you're right. He looks just like our long lost roommate Sirius."_

_James moved his glasses higher up on his nose and studied his friend for a moment."_ _Though I haven't seen him for the past two days, so I can't be sure."_

_"Shove it Prongs, you saw me before lunch."_

_"At the hospital wing, yeah. But this is the first time in two days that I've seen you in here."_ _Sirius sent a glare towards James before making his way over to his bed, placed between Remus's and James's, and laid down on his back. He closed his eyes for a moment, but all he could see was the frail-looking sandy-haired boy who was currently sleeping alone in the hospital wing._

_"Has he been getting any better since lunch?"_ _Peter's voice filled the quiet room. Sirius had not left Remus's side ever since they had arrived at the hospital wing, even going as far as using James cloak at night, so Madam Pomfrey wouldn't notice that he was there._

_The other two members had been given the task of taking notes and gathering up Remus's homework in as many classes as they could manage, which seemed more difficult than expected. Still, it was nothing they wouldn't manage with the help of either Cassie or Lily._

_"Yeah, Poppy said that he would be released tomorrow evening. She wanted to keep him for a little bit longer to make sure.."_ _He trailed off, and then silence filled the room again, that was until James stood up, his eyes danced across his two best friends, before letting out a slight sigh. He grabbed his grey hoodie and pulled it swiftly over his head, and struggled for a little moment before his shaggy hair popped through the opening. He fixed his slightly crooked glasses and ran a hand through his naturally messy hair, making it yet even more chaotic._

_"So, you guys coming?"_ _Sirius raised his head slightly and sent his friend a rather curious look. "_ _Where are we going?"_

_A smile grew on the messy-haired boy. He took hold of his friend's signature leather jacket and threw it towards him._ _"To Hogsmede, of course, wouldn't want Moony waking up tomorrow without chocolate."_ _Peter jumped out of bed in joy, pulled on his shoes, and stood next to James before Sirius even had the chance to react. A broad smile grew on the older boy who quickly raised himself from the bed_ _and threw on his leather jacket as elegantly as only Sirius could._ _The morning after, Remus had woken up with a pile of chocolate bars occupying the table next to him; however, by the time the three boys had come to visit, the werewolf had already eaten half of it._

Sirius's smile grew a few inches as he was glad that they had decided not to bring all the chocolate they had bought and instead had chosen to save some of it. However, he figured that it was probably for the best not to mention it. "I'm just worried about her." He opened his eyes and sat back up, placing his elbow on the table, he moved his palm under his chin to hold his head up.

"I understand that, but stalking them? do you really think that is a good idea?" Remus lifted an eyebrow and gave his friend an uncertain look. Even Sirius had to admit that it was probably not the best idea he had thought of. He knew that it was a terrible idea and would not give anyone a positive outcome. "No, I don't. I just need to make sure that Rabastan's not like his brother." He ran his hands through his hair and let out yet another sigh. Most people knew that the oldest of the Lestrange siblings was exceptionally cruel and a rather big supporter of the death eaters. Chances were that he also had become one, along with his wife, Bellatrix.

"Okay. I have an idea, but for this to work, you have to be completely serious, and we can not bring Peter or James with us."A wicked smile grew on the older boy's lips. Remus rolled his eyes as he could not believe how on earth his friend was so ridiculous. "You know what I mean."

"Okay, what is it?

"We make them think we bumped into them on accident." A few seconds passed before Sirius said anything. "Okay, look, I can't believe that I'm saying this, but are you serious?"

"No, that's you remember." Remus sent the other boy a swift smile, almost feeling proud of himself. However, the other boy just shook his head. "But yes, I am serious. Look, it's not a terrible plan. If you make Cassie think that we accidentally ran into them while they're shopping somewhere, she'll be less likely to think that you're following her or plotting something."

"But why can't James or Peter come with?" Remus raised an eyebrow and sent him the look that he had master so well over the years of being friends with the trio. The look that basically said, _you're an idiot right now._ "Because, first of all, James is a terrible liar and will be likely to screw it up, and Peter already said that he didn't want to make Cassie mad, which will make him nervous and scared that he will mess it up, which will end in him ratting us out."

Seeing his friend quietly agree with him, Remus decided to share yet another reason while grinning slightly. "Besides, you're way too dramatic when you try to act normal, and I'd say that alone is enough of a challenge."

\---------------------------------------

It had been a long time since Cassie had felt this nervous; sure, they had exchanged some letters after the first ones, where they agreed on meeting by the three broomsticks and start with a butterbeer, but still. She let her eyes wander over her reflection, turning swiftly from side to side, inspecting the outfit. As Alice named it, the magical makeover had taken a bit longer than she expected, though she wasn't too surprised as she shared a dormitory with four girls with slightly different tastes in clothing.

Marlene had wanted her to wear a dress but was quickly shot down by Dorcas, who said that it was October and rather cold outside, Cassie, however, had silently thanked Dorcas as dresses were something she didn't mainly wear much unless her mother said so.

She passed Honeydukes, and through the window, she saw a glimpse of her older brother smiling down at Remus, who was too busy trying to figure out which chocolate to buy. Stopping for a moment, she watched as Sirius let out a laugh and put his hand on top of Remus's head and tousled his hair. The shorter boy looked up and pouted. However, the blush was clear as day on his cheeks. A soft chuckle left her as she continued her way to the three broomsticks.

The closer she got, the more nervous she felt, and suddenly she stopped, as there he was. He stood leaned against the wall, right next to the entrance door, his eyes going back and forth, looking among the sea of students. A small smile covered his lips when he saw her. Cassie took a tiny breath and exhaled before walking closer.

"Hey," she cursed herself the moment she opened her mouth, as the words came out sounding shakier than she would have liked. As if sensing her nervousness, Rabastan sent her a soft smile before replying. "Hey, you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's do this."


	9. Then there were two...

The time spent in the tree broomstick had been more enjoyable and passed by faster than Cassie thought it would have. At first, they talked about how her school year was going so far. They started talking about the classes, which was her favorite and what had been his, and then they changed the subject to the teachers. Rabastan wasn't surprised to know that the slug club was still up and going, as he himself had been a member of it. As they got closer to the bottom of their glasses, they switched to a subject they both enjoyed very much, namely quidditch. A topic they held going even as they left.

"So the first quidditch match is what, at the start of November?" The dark-haired girl turned her head slightly towards Rabastan as they walked down the street in Hogsmeade. Slightly raising an eyebrow, she looked at him in confusion.

"Well, yeah. How do you even know that?" The corner of his lips raised slightly as he looked at her for a moment, silently admiring the way her dark hair fell. "I used to be on the quidditch team, remember?" Cassie felt her face flush as she put her hands into her pockets and silently cursed herself. Of course she remembered that, he had been the quidditch captain on the Slytherin team during his seventh year, although she had been two years younger, she remembered because he had been rather brilliant. Not that she would ever tell him, though.

"Besides, Regulus told me." A few seconds passed, and Rabastan turned his gaze towards her when he noticed that she didn't answer. His dark eyes met hers, and noticed that her face had gotten a few shades lighter than normal. Though he wasn't entirely sure if it was surprise or slight terror that covered her face at the moment "I'm sorry... could you repeat that?» Cassie stuttered out in disbelief, honestly not wanting to believe what she had just heard. A slightly nervous grin covered the boy's face, as his eyes looked anywhere but at her for the moment.

"Your... well... your brother told me."

"You've been writing with my brother?" He cursed himself at the moment, as his hand found its way unconsciously to the back of his neck and scratched it lightly, a rather unpleasant and improper habit, as his mother had said, that appeared whenever he was nervous. "Yeah..."

Cassie furred her eyebrows in confusion. As far as she knew, there was no reason for the two of them to be writing to each other as they were a few years apart in age and didn't have the same social circles that she knew of. "Why?" Rabastan looked a bit embarrassed, if not a bit uncomfortable at the sudden question. "He wanted to know about my intentions towards you.»

Cassie fought internally to keep the grin from appearing on her lips and decided to see how long she could drag this teasing out. "And?"

"And what?"

A teasing smile covered her lips as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was rather enjoying the vague redness that was emerging on his cheeks. In a way, it was strange seeing him like that. "Do you have any intentions?" Suddenly his facial expression changed, no more where the slight redness to his cheek. However, an equal teasing smile was placed on his lips along with a slightly playful glint in his eyes, one that matched Cassies. "Not at the moment, no."

"Oh, dear, you better not let my mother hear that."

They smiled at each other for a moment before letting their laughter fill the air around them, causing a few fourth year Ravenclaws to look their way before returning to what they were doing. Looking up, Cassie saw the sign for Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop and slowed down; she pointed at the shop, making the older boy lift his gaze slightly up. "Do you mind if we take a quick trip in here? I ... need some new ink."

Rabastan eagerly nodded his head, the slight wind that had been earlier had started to pick up, and he was positive his ears were the same color as Cassie's cheeks. While entering, they immediately felt the warmth surround them, and the lingering smell of ink filled the air. It honestly wasn't until then they noticed how cold it had gotten outside. However, the sight that met them when they came in was one Cassie didn't expect. Right in front of them by the cashier stood her brother and a delighted looking Remus, who was paying for what Cassie thought to be his new quill and ink. Moving her eyes a bit lower, she noticed the Honeydukes bags that Sirius seemed to be carrying and thought back to earlier that day when she had seen them there.

Turning around, Remus's eyes widened slightly, though relief filled him. "Thank Merlin," he muttered slightly under his breath, relieved that they didn't have to sneak up on them or accidentally bumped into them. All the chocolate in the world couldn't make up for Sirius's bad excuse for acting. It wasn't that he was terrible; he was rather good. It was just the fact that he could never really manage to act 'normal' and always got more dramatic than needed.

"Hey, guys." A smile spread across the sandy-haired boy while his eyes were filled with something that Cassie couldn't quite explain. Sirius turned around at his friend's voice, a smile growing on his face thinking that the two other members of the Marauders had gotten back from Spintwitches Sporting Needs. However, surprise filled him when he locked eyes with his sister. Although almost quicker than lightning, his eyes immediately found the dark ones of the person next to her. He let his gaze linger slightly on the other boy's face for a moment, taking in the dark hair that was somewhat messed up from the wind, his eyes which held a surprised but soft look nowhere near the glare that Bellatrix and her husband were so usually fond of.

"Rabastan"

"Sirius"

They sent each other a nod, but it was obvious to anyone near them that the two boys were sizing each other up and down. Sirius, for apparent reasons, and Rabastan because he didn't quite like the way Sirius was looking at him. Although he was usually good at reading people, looking at the younger boy was like staring at a wall. No response what so ever. Remus and Cassie shared a slightly concerned look, wondering if this would end at the hospital wing or worse. However, what happened next shocked them both.

Sirius extracted his arm, and a polite smile covered his face. Rabastan's eyes lingered on his hand for a few seconds before he stretched his arm out and took the younger boy's hand and shook it. "Well, it's nice to meet you somewhere a little more civilized." A smile filled Rabastan's face as he slowly felt relief fill him. Though he wouldn't say it, at least anywhere near his family, he carried a small admiration for the younger boy, who, even though disowned, followed his own heart and made his life his own.

"Likewise"

He shifted his gaze to the shorter boy. Although he hadn't properly met him before, he remembered seeing them along with the Potter boy and another boy running along the hallways, causing mayhem and mischief back when he attended Hogwarts. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Rabastan Lestrange." Remus took the older boy's hand while smiling, feeling very proud of the dark-haired boy standing next to him. "Remus Lupin. Pleasure"

Cassie looked around for a moment, trying to catch the view of the two other Marauders. However, she concluded that the boys were alone; thinking back to it, she hadn't seen the other pair when she passed Honeydukes earlier. "So, are you two on a date?"

Sirius's face immediately flushed a dark red, matching boy next to him. The words leaving Remus's mouth came out a stuttering mess while Sirius refused to look at his sister running his hand through his hair.

"Wha— no, we're not... James and Peter.. were.. we are meeting.. later."

Cassie had to bite back a laugh that threatened to leave her lips. Seeing her friend's embarrassment and feeling as proud of herself as only a younger sibling could, she decided not to torture them much longer. "Well, we're not gonna hold you up. See you later?" Moving slightly to her right, she made room for the duo to pass by them.

"Well, it was nice meeting you two." Rabastan called out to them as they got closer to the entrance door. Surprise flashes across Sirius's eyes for a moment before a genuine smile grew on his lips. "You too. We should do it again sometime." Remus said his goodbye and caught Cassie's gaze momentarily before they left. The wink she sent towards him made his cheek even redder as he quickly looked away and silently cursed her.

Though Cassie was looking at the duo and smiling proudly, Rabastan was looking at her. Taking in her appearance properly for the first time that day, seeing as she was entirely occupied by something else. Her brown eyes bore a teasing glint that was mirrored in her smile, dark curls framing her pale face, and even in a simple sweater and jeans, he thought she looked very nice. Maybe it was something the Black family possessed, an unnatural gift of looking good in anything, or perhaps it was just her.

Done basking in her brother's embarrassment, she turned towards Rabastan, meeting his gaze, as he was already looking at her. Though she wasn't sure what it was, an unexplainable feeling grew in the pit of her stomach, and she felt a slight warmness rise in her cheeks. It was a feeling that Cassie herself wasn't quite sure was a good or a bad one. It seemed like it was a universal truth. If one of the Marauders was going down, so was someone else. She gave him a swift smile before making her way over to the quills, desperately trying to both calm and hide the blush on her face. However, her hiding efforts were useless, as Rabastan had already seen it and was walking around with a slightly arrogant grin on his face.

After spending a good fifteen minutes looking at the different quills and comparing them, Cassie was pleased to say that she exited the shop with two new quills and five bottles of ink, for, as Rastaban said, you never know if you might spill some of it. At this, Cassie only shook her head and let out a small smile while thinking if you only knew. They spent the next hour just wandering about, talking about most things and some not so important things. Cassie was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to talk to him and was pleasantly surprised all together when it came to Rabastan.

"Well... I had a good time today." She met his eyes and smiled when she saw that he was already smiling at her.

"Yeah.. me too. I well... I hope we can do this again." Cassie felt her smile grow even more prominent than she thought possible and nodded her head. "I'd like that very much. I'll send you an owl about our next Hogsmeade trip."

Putting his hands in his pocket, he looked a bit hesitant before speaking again. "I'm also glad that I properly got to meet your brother. I can see how much he means to you."

"Thank you. It really means a lot to me that you feel that way." It meant more to her then she would let him know. However, a little thought struck her before he left.

"Could you perhaps not tell my mother that you met him? I wouldn't want to make things more difficult.. for anyone." A look of what seemed like understanding covered his face before he sent her a brilliant teasing smile. "Don't worry. I'll just tell her about my intentions towards you."

"You're signing your own grave. You know that, right?" A soft chuckle left her as she watched him lightly shrug his shoulders and raise his eyebrows. "But wouldn't the reaction be fantastic?"

That she had to agree with, it would have been fantastic. Though she had to admit that this day too had been fantastic, even more so than she thought it would be. Rabastan Lestrange was certainly not the person she thought he was, and she liked that.

A lot.


	10. No use running this time

The next day, Cassie was woken up by the sound of rain hitting the windows. The heavy rain made it seemed darker outside than it was. _Maybe she could drag Remus and Lily to the library for some studying later_ ; she thought while laying her head back down on her pillow. She had been lying awake for a while, staring up to the ceiling, feeling a bit ridiculous, to be honest, as just the thought about yesterday brought a smile to her face.

"What are you smiling about?" Cassie turned so that she was lying on her right side, looking at the duo sitting on top of Marlenes bed. Her smile widened ever so slightly as she raised herself to a sitting position. "Oh, nothing special." Dorcas raised a single eyebrow, not believing a word she was saying. "Could you please stop then? You're creeping me out?" Marlene let out a laugh and gave her girlfriend a gentle shove, careful not to push her off the bed.

"Well, I suppose it might have something to do with a certain boy she saw yesterday." Alice smiled teasingly at her friend as she walked over the floor, from her bed towards the only person in the room who was still sleeping. She put her hands on her hips and looked down at Lily with a disapproving gaze. "Honestly, is she gonna sleep all day?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." Marlene said while she turned the page of her edition of Witch Weekly. Dorcas saw the look that appeared in Alice's eyes and started nodding her head eagerly. Alice grabbed a maroon red pillow from Dorcas's bed, raised the pillow over her head, and repeatedly started hitting the lump in Lily's bed.

"Rise and shine, Lilypad." She stopped momentarily, waiting for a reaction; however, she continued her hitting when none came. After a few hits, she decided to try her luck again. "Don't wanna be late for breakfast." However, no such luck. The girls all shared a look before Alice decided to use her triumph card.

"Maybe I should go and get James."

"Boys can't go up the girl's staircase." A groggy voice appeared from under the comforter that was covering Lilys head. An almost proud smile covered Alice's lips as she sat down on Dorcas's bed. "Well, that woke her up." Marlene met Dorcas's eyes as they shared an amused smile

Lily sat up in her bed, letting the comforter covering her head fall down, exposing her bed head to everyone. Cassie burst out laughing. Lilys hair was practically standing in every direction. It was a literal birdnest. Dorcas and Marlene held on to each other while laughing hard, so neither would end up on the floor. Lily's eyes scanned her friends, confused by the sudden noise that filled the room. Her gaze met Alice's, who was really struggling not to join the other three. However, the moment Lily looked at her. Alice's brown eyes immediately found its way to the top of her head, and any battle that she had been fighting previously was now lost, as she too joined the trio. Lily looked almost scared, unsure if she wanted to know what was happening, but she also knew that it was about her.

"What is it?" She shrieked out, catching the attention of the girls, and momentarily stopping their laughter. They looked at each other for a moment and then back to her, in which they all burst out laughing again.

A few minutes later, the group of girls made their way to the great hall in hopes of getting at least some breakfast before it was over. Dorcas looked over to her friend, who had been smiling since the moment she woke up. And honestly, it was starting to freak her out a bit.

"Are you gonna smile like that the whole day? Because if so, let me know now and.."

"Oh come on, Dor, look at her. She seems so happy." Alice said while Marlene turned her gaze towards the girl on her left and gently squeezed her hand. "Yeah, imagine if it was me walking around all happy because of you. Would you want me to stop?" Dorcas rolled her eyes and met Marlene's gaze while squeezing her hand back. "That's different. You don't look anywhere near as creepy as she does with that smile."

Cassie laughed out loud and put her arm over Dorcas' shoulders while a teasing smile rested on her lips. "Oh, Dorcas, I've been smiling like this since the dormitory because I knew it freaked you out." Lily chuckled, not at all surprised, and gave the older girl a high five. Dorcas shooked her head while pointing a finger towards the smiling girl and laughing slightly. "You bloody suck, you know that?"

Giggling filled the group as they entered the great hall, and Cassie saw her older brother's familiar dark hair, sitting somewhere near the middle of the table. Or rather, the first she saw was James's birdnest of hair. "Hey, Lils seems like you're matching James today."

The other girls, except for the redhead, shared yet another laugh. Lily glared at the older girl and gave her a slight shove before muttering under her breath. "Bugger off." Though it was, in fact, true, Alice and Marlene had been so eager to get to breakfast that they refused to wait for Lily to brush her hair and dragged her out of the dormitory the minute she was dressed.

"Hey, Two!" Cassie immediately turned her gaze towards her brother, furred her eyebrows, and looked particularly offended by what he had said. "Two? Are you mad? Of course, I'm number one." He laughed in disbelief as if he almost couldn't believe what the girl had said. Cassie sat down between Alice and Lily, while Sirius was sitting on the other side of the table between James and Marlene, who had just sat down. " No. I'm the oldest, remember."

"And so? I'm the better twin."

"Better twin?! oh please, we all know that I'm the best looking one out of everyone ."He exclaimed while flipping his hair over his shoulder dramatically. James shared a look with Remus before he facepalmed himself, turning his gaze to his plate.

"Nice hairstyle Lily." Remus was fighting a grin as his eyes lingered on the top of the girl's head sitting next to him. It wasn't until then James noticed the redheaded girl was with them. He looked up from his plate and met the gaze of the girl sitting right across from him.

"shove it, Remus."

"Stood up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

"More like beaten out of it." Lily murmured and sent a glare towards a snickering Peter, who immediately shut up and moved his gaze towards his breakfast

Cassie took a bite out of her cereal before pointed her spoon towards James. "So... is that a new hairstyle you're going for, James?" Peter snickered yet again, while Sirius grinned almost proudly at himself. Remus just shook his head and turned his gaze back to the book he was reading.

James rolled his eyes at the two Marauders before meeting Lily's gaze. Recalling what Remus had said, he moved his eyes slightly upwards and saw her bed head, which reminded him very much of his own. In truth, he wanted to chuckle a bit, though he thought that she still looked very beautiful. "Your hair looks quite nice, Lily." Feeling the sincerity in his voice, the girl couldn't help but let a warm smile spread across her face as her own eyes moved upwards to his own bed head. It was indeed a catastrophic sight. His usually messy and uncontrollable hair looked even worse as he hadn't had the chance to comb it. His eyes a bit red and dropping, undoubtedly just having been woken up and dragged to the great hall as she had been. "Thank you, James. I must say your hair looks rather lovely too."

For a moment, he both looked and felt genuinely surprised, not at all expecting the compliment. At first, he thought she was teasing him until he saw the sincere look in her eyes and her warm smile. The compliment ignited the hope that he still carried inside of him, but thought to himself that he better not read too much into it and do something stupid. But still, he sent her a brilliant smile.

As if being struck by lightning Remus looked up and attached his gaze at Cassie, who laughed along with Alice at something Frank had said. He closed his book and put it down. "So how did it go yesterday, Cassie?" She lifted her head towards the voice and thought for a moment before settling on a simple answer. "It was fine."

Marlene scoffed rather loudly. "Suppose it was more than fine. She's been smiling all morning." Lily laughed at this and moved her eyes towards the curly-haired girl and grinned. "It's been freaking Dorcas out to no end."

Sirius chuckled as Dorcas's cheeks darkened slightly. However, she just gave a genuine laugh. "Oh, come on, Cas."

"Yeah, no use running this time. We got you surrounded now." She smiled at the childish behavior of her friends before deciding to satisfy their curiosity.

"All right, all right." The group inched closer to the girl in hopes of catching everything she was going to say. It almost seemed as if the two groups had joined together to start Hogwarts Gossiping Club, which almost made her laugh.

"Well, in short. It was great. We started with a butterbeer and just wandered around talking about everything. Though I have to say I was a bit surprised at how... how should I say this... how different he was from what I imagined." Peter looked at her, his eyes full of curiosity. "Different how? Good? Bad?" Frank turned and looked at the boy next to him while giving him a disbelieving glance. "You really think she would go round smiling if it was bad?"

"You never know, he might have put a spell on her or something." She chuckled and smiled at Peter to reassure him. "It was a good different. Very good"

"I was quite surprised myself. Sirius and I ran into them while buying quill and ink. He was quite nice." All eyes turned towards Sirius at the moment, who was just about to take a bite out of his sandwich. He let his wide eyes move over every member of their group, obviously not expecting the attention. "He seemed alright, I suppose." he managed to say after he swallowed his food.

"They did have a moment though, just before they shook hands, where they were really staring each other down. Or rather, this one here was analyzing Rabastan thoroughly." Cassie pointed her spoon towards Sirius and turned her gaze towards him as she now spoke to him. "While Rabastan looked at you because the way you looked at him made him uncomfortable."

"He said that?" She nodded her head. "Yeah, he told me afterward."

"Well, I am the older brother," He said as if he almost couldn't be bothered, and took a sip out of his pumpkin juice.

"So... What was the judgment?" James's eyes met Sirius's. "Well... he seemed nice, nicer than Rodolphus, so that's good. Though I suppose we don't really know for sure until we get to know him better, though." A small smile grew on Cassie's lips as she heard the words coming out of her brother's mouth. "So you're okay with that?"

"With what?"

"Getting to know him better." He let out a sigh, resigning himself to acceptance. "Whether I like it or not, he's the one you're going to marry, so suppose I have to." She smiled, even more, hoping to Merlin that she would be able to keep both boys in her life. "aww... I love you. Two."

"I love you, Three."

"Three?! Are you bloody kidding me?!" Horror covered her face, while her brother just sat there looking rather smug. "Well, I'm not letting you have One for sure, unless you would like to be Zero?" He grinned wickedly while Cassie groaned and looked towards Remus, screaming internally for help.

"Oh please, Remus, how do you live with this?" He gave her a look, one that didn't really need explaining. "Could ask you the same question, really." He heard a whine coming from Sirius, who was giving him his best puppy eyes look. Remus felt his insides melt slightly and silently cursed himself as he felt his heart skip at the look he was currently receiving from the older boy. "Though, then again, what would we do without him." He quickly turned his gaze down to his plate, hiding his slightly warming cheeks.

"Well... we'd have less drama for sure." Peter snickered while Sirius just shook his head, bearing a brilliant smile across his lips. "Oh, what's the fun in that." Remus and James shared a look, silently agreeing with what their friend had said.


	11. Happy Birthday Dancing Queen

"Well, good morning, everyone, anything special happening on this oh so wonderful day?" Sirius was practically shining where he was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the great hall. Cassie was sure that even his hair looked a bit shinier than usual. However, she just let a smile rest on her face, as she was almost equally excited, seeing that it was November 3rd. Namely their birthday.

"Well, happy birthday pads, although I've probably said it six times now, not including those from right after midnight and in the hour that followed." Although said, Remus smiled brightly, and she could tell the congratulation was very much sincere. If Cassie hadn't known her brother as well as she did, she would have missed the slight redness that appeared on his cheeks, though it disappeared as soon as it arrived. "Yeah, well... it's a special occasion, one worth mentioning."

"what special occasion?" With his signature unruly hair, James made an entrance with Peter next to him, who bore a smile on his face. Sirius raised an eyebrow and shot his friend a glare of disbelief and pure annoyance. "Don't play daft, James."

An innocent look covered James's face as he shrugged his shoulders, trying to seem obvious to what the older boy was talking about. Which were complete bullocks, and Sirius knew that. However, he gave the two boys a slightly curious look as he scooted slightly to his left, making room for James. "Where were you two?" The boys shared a look before Peter answered, putting his lying skill to use, and distracted Sirius. While at the same time, James sat down in between the twins and right across from Remus, sending a wink in his direction, immediately putting a grin on the sandy hair boy.

"Cas, isn't that Nova?" Cassie looked up from the conversation that Dorcas, Lily, and herself had been so engrossed in. Her eyes immediately found the sight of the familiar white owl carrying a box. Quickly she got on her feet and thankfully caught the box before it would have crashed into their breakfast. Upon inspection, she noticed the writing on top, declaring that it was for her brother and herself. She moved her head slightly to her left towards James but kept her eyes on the box, letting the curiosity fill her.

"It's from your parents James, for Sirius and I." Sirius, who looked as excited as a child on Christmas morning, immediately switched seats with James and sat down next to his sister as she started to open the box. "Look, it's presents!" James let out a laugh at his friend's childish reaction. However, what came next was even better. After all, they had been through that year and summer, the Potters and the rest of the Marauders wanted to do something special for their birthday, something to cheer them up.

"Wait..." Lily, who sat across from Cassie, drew the attention of the four marauders and her roommates while breaking the bubble Frank and Alice seemed so comfortable in. "Is that a Howler?" It was first now that they noticed the red envelope in the box, and truth be told, Cassie wasn't quite sure what to expect. However, she hoped that Mr. Potter hadn't recorded himself singing the birthday song, as his singing was not that good. The twins shared a quick look before opening it. However, instead of Harold's singing voice or Dorea's warm voice congratulating them, a sudden sound of piano started to play. Their eyes shined in wonder and happiness as a big smile grew on their faces. Listening to the music, they swore that they could have fallen in love with it.

_"You are the dancing queen._

_Young and sweet, only seventeen_

_Dancing queen_

_Feel the beat from the tambourine_

_Oh, yeah_

_You can dance, you can jive._

_Having the time of your life_

_Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene._

_Digging the dancing queen."_

_"I absolutely love your parents' prongs."_

The smile on the eldest boy was bigger and brighter than it had been for a while, and the same could be said for his sister, who was so amazed that anyone would ever do something like that for them. "That was bloody amazing." Her brown eyes twinkled brightly with happiness, which made her brother even happier. A smile spread across Lilys face before she moved her gaze down to the box and looked inside. There she saw what looked like a recorder, as it seemed almost identical to her father's one at home. Pulling the device from the box, she lifted it for everyone to see.

"Look, it's a recorder."

"A what?" A soft laugh emitted from her as she saw the looks of confusion covering the birthday girl and the birthday boy. Sure the wizarding world had its version of a recorder; however, it looked slightly different, and it wasn't quite the same. "It is a muggle device that allows you to store a sound, song, or something that someone has said, and then you can listen to it later. Like this" Lily pressed down the play button, and for a moment, she was a bit worried that there was nothing recorded at all. However, within a few seconds, music filled the Gryffindor table, and the earlier song made yet another appearance.

_Ooh, you can dance, you can jive._

_Having the time of your life_

_Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene._

_Digging the dancing queen_

The piano riff filled the air as the amazement was clear as day on the twin's faces. Remus could feel the warmth fill his body as he saw his two best friends smiling at each other while opening the rest of the presents, which included some new quidditch gloved for them both, and each their own newly knitted scarf that Mrs. Potter had been knitting in all secret. Remus was thrilled that they loved the presents seeing as he had spent a while with Mrs. Potter and James trying to figure out something perfect.

As Sirius was already humming the melody of ABBA's Dancing Queen while eating up the rest of his breakfast and proudly wore his new scarf, Remus had to admit that they had done an excellent job. It was quite possible and most likely that they would hear the same song multiple times throughout the day, but seeing the brilliant smile of the twin who sat across from him, the werewolf decided that it was definitely worth it.

Cassie, who had been quiet for a little while, seemed a bit lost in thought. However, she stood up and looked at the rest. "I'll see you guys soon, okay? There is someone I need to see." Her eyes found her brothers for a moment while giving him both a look and a smile that said _It's okay. You don't have to_. With a knowing look in his eyes, he made up his mind, stood up, and smiled at his friends while excusing himself.

The group of friends watched as the twins exited the great hall. However, James, who had been facing the same way as his two friends and had the view of the Slytherin table, saw the youngest black sibling excusing himself from his table before following his two older siblings in a discreet yet quick manner. A soft smile spread across James's face, and Lily, who noticed it turned her head slightly just in time to catch the look of the younger boy exiting the great hall, in which she couldn't stop a small smile appearing.

"Alright, so you two talked to the house-elves, right? Remus's voice broke the silence that had grown in the absence of the birthday twins. James nodded his head while taking a bite out of his sandwich while Peter was the one who answered. "Everything's taken care of. You got the firewhiskey?" Peter's eyes caught Lilys before she gave him a nod and moved her gaze back and forth between him and the two other marauders. "All done, thanks for borrowing the map with that. Don't think the prefect excuse would have worked if Professor McGonagall caught us coming out of one of the secret passages."

A smirk grew on James's face as he heard of the mischievous deeds the female prefect had done along with Dorcas and Alice, while Marlene, Remus, and Frank had been working on decoration spells. How he didn't know, but still, after six years, he found himself falling even more in love with her every passing day.

"True that, well unless you're Remus, I suppose." Peter said while taking a sip out of his pumpkin juice while giving Remus a knowing look. The boy widened his amber eyes though a mischievous grin quickly spread across his face as he remembered that one-time last year. When coming back from Hogsmeade late one night, Professor Slughorn had almost caught him coming out of one of the secret passages. However, making a quick lie that he was patrolling and giving his most believable innocent smile, Professor Slughorn believed him right away. As they walked away, he asked Slughorn about some of the potions he had been reading about to distract him long enough for the other boys to get back to the common room.

"That was one time."

"One time, that you were almost caught or that you lied?" James grinned at his friend's sudden silence. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the redhead trying but failing to hide her smile, making him grin even more. However, it was a universal fact that if one of the marauders were going down, so where someone else, something so often used by Sirius and James himself that Remus wondered for a while if James had forgotten that fact. His grin ever-present on his face while his gaze met Peters for a moment.

"Hey, Pete, remembered what happened in March?" With those words said, Peter was almost laughing himself out of his chair, just thinking about it. James, however, had not shared his friend's enthusiasm as his face had paled slightly, and he, in short, looked mortified. "No.. no no no no. You promised... YOU promised that you wouldn't tell."

The wicked grin on Remus's face grew even more prominent if possible, and Peter's laughter was now heard clearly throughout the Gryffindor table. With tears running down his face, he struggled to keep himself on the bench. "Oh prongs, when are you going to learn? If Moony's going down, so are you." At this, James had no response, only closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair several times, as he accepted the losing battle. Muttering things under his breath like, oh dear merlin, help me.

A few minutes passed before the group of friends, minus James and Remus, who was sitting there grinning, feeling incredibly proud of himself, started laughing their hearts out. Peter, who couldn't help it anymore. Finally fell out of his seat and collapsed on the floor, continuing to laugh. James was currently sporting red cheeks and found his remaining sandwich the most exciting thing in the world, not noticing a pair of green eyes staring at him. A soft smile present on her face, and though she wouldn't admit it out loud, she enjoyed seeing these sides of James.

It was like getting to know the real him, the one who would do anything for his friends, who agreed to have a little lunch date with moaning myrtle in the girls' bathroom because he couldn't bear turn her down and have her crying again, who'd turn into a complete mother hen if any of the boys were sick.Although he didn't always enjoy homework, he wouldn't stop pestering his friends to finish theirs, ensuring they had all done their homework and essays on time. It was like she was getting to know the real James and not the boy she thought he was. It wasn't until his eyes meet hers that she noticed that she had been staring for a little while. She immediately turned her gaze down to her breakfast, ignoring the warmth rising on her cheeks.

Remus, ever observant, except when it came to himself, noticed his fellow prefect's red cheeks and the slightly confused yet embarrassed look that James gave her. He opened his mouth, and just as he was about to speak, he was cut off. "Class starts soon. We should probably go." A smiling Alice brought them all out of their thoughts as she grabbed her bag and stood up, holding out her hand for Frank to take. Remus saw James give Lily a lingering look before gathering his things. The prefect gently shook his head while standing up. He supposed that the universe had spoken for James, that maybe whatever it was that he was going to say was best left unspoken for the moment. At least for now.


	12. Where's the firewhiskey?!

Regulus Black was the perfect son in the eyes of his parents, the one who never did anything wrong, the one who made the right friends, but most of all, the one who got sorted into the right house. So one might ask themselves why on earth would he be following a well-known pair of Gryffindor twins out of the great hall.

Simple, he was their younger brother.

Slipping out of the great hall, he caught a glimpse of dark hair disappearing behind a corner. Speeding up his steps, he rounded the corner in a slight hurry but stopped when he met a pair of smiling faces looking right at him. Cassie almost laughed at the surprise and slight fright that covered his face the moment he saw them. Seeing the conflicted look he wore, she immediately took him in her arms and hugged him.

Sirius looked at his younger siblings and felt a happiness that he couldn't quite explain; however, a slight sadness quickly overtook it. The fact that they had to go out of their way not to be seen together was heartbreaking. "Alright, give the lad some air, or else you'll probably kill him." Turning her head, she met Sirius's gaze, who looked at her in slight amusement. Reluctantly she withdrew from her younger brother, but not before giving him a warm smile.

"Suppose you'd wanna go first, then?" Regulus gave his older brother an uncertain look, meeting his eyes before casting them towards the ground. He wouldn't blame Sirius if he did, not really. He had always been a little envious of the courage his siblings had, the way they had no fear of being who they were. In truth, they were both leaders while he was just a follower, too scared to stand out among the crowd and the people they grew up with.

Although they hadn't written much during the summer, Sirius could remember in one of the last letters his sister had sent about how different Regulus acted. After Sirius had left, the younger boy had become more withdrawn and quieter than usual, sometimes going out of his way not to talk to Cassie. Cassie told him later that she thought it had been too much for Regulus. With Sirius leaving, her engagement, which meant that she also would be gone soon. Sirius, however, suspected that there was more to the story than either knew.

He gently shook his head while a small chuckle escaped his lips and lunged forward. Regulus was shocked, to say at least, when he felt his older brother wrap his arms around him and hug him tightly. "I see you've become mental over the summer if you think I'd kill you." The younger boy closed his eyes while he hugged back and allowed himself to let a tiny smile appeared. Regulus could feel the familiar burn in his eyes and wanted nothing more than to cry at the moment; it wasn't until now he truly felt as if he had taken his siblings for granted. It wasn't long until they both would be gone, which made him feel more alone than ever.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled out as he felt his brother's hand gently clap him on his back. Sirius turned his head slightly, meeting the gaze of his smiling twin, who was looking at them almost like a proud mother would at her child. "It's okay, Reg... it's okay."

The younger pulled reluctantly away from the embrace and kicked himself internally. He had come with the intention of just coolly congratulating the twins on their birthday, not hugging them while almost breaking down as he missed them. Imagine what his parents would have said if they saw him right now. Pathetic.

Lifting his eyes, it surprised him a little when he saw a slight sadness that covered the twin's faces and thought he wasn't quite sure; he almost thought Sirius looked a bit regretful. However, a big smile covered his face quicker than Regulus thought was possible. "So... come to congratulate the birthday boy?" Cassie scoffed before turning her head toward Sirius, looking as if she almost wanted to hit him over the head. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused." Sirius grinned happily at her, while Cassie looked anything but pleased. Crossing her arms, she raised a single eyebrow at him and glared. It was a glare so well-known within the family, one that the siblings had practically grown up with. It was their mother's or rather an exact copy of it. Sirius's smile faltered as he looked slightly uncomfortable under the glare.

"or... or the birthday girl? Definitely the birthday girl."

Regulus almost wanted to smile as his sister nodded approvingly at Sirius but stopped himself when he started hearing students emerging from the great hall. "I-I just wanted to say happy birthday... and well... I hope you two have a good day." He said, panicking as he could hear Crabbe's loud voice getting closer to where they were standing. "I need to go."

Turning around, he hurried around the corner, coming face to face with Severus Snape, who stood between Crabbe and Rosier. Snape gave him a puzzling yet suspicious look wondering just where the boy had been. "Where have you been?"

"I had to go to the loo. Though I think I forgot my bag in the great hall." Rosier lifted the dark bag that Regulus spoke of and handed it to him while giving Snape a look. "That's what I said. Didn't you see the amount of pumpkin juice he had been drinking? Bound to go sooner or later."

Crabbe nodded enthusiastically at his friend while looking at Snape. "Better to go now than during transfiguration, doubt Professor McGonagall would be happy."

Severus looked at the dark-haired boy and tried to hide the frown from appearing on his face. There was something about how the younger boy looked at him, which made him think that was something Regulus wasn't saying. However, the thought quickly left him as a flash of red hair passed by them. Though what he saw made him clench his fists.

Hard.

Lily was laughing at something Peter had said while occasionally casting glances towards a depressed redfaced James, who had his gaze glued to the floor. Remus walked next to him, a smile evident on his face while trying to say encouraging words to the blushing boy, who looked as if the world was about to end. In a normal setting, the look on Potter's face was something Severus would have taken great pleasure in seeing. However, it was the glances that his former friend sent towards the boy that almost made him want to burst up in flames. When the group rounded the corner, he moved his glare towards the younger boy.

"Let's go."

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't understand. Why can't we study in the library?" Lily rolled her eyes at her friend. While the others were busy decorating the common room, she had been tasked to distract Cassie for a while before bringing her there, while Remus was currently doing the same with Sirius. However, Lily hadn't seen the pair since dinner and wondered where they were. Or at least that's what she did before Cassie started asking questions.

"I already told you, I forgot my charms book."

"Can't you just use mine?"

"No, I can't. I... I wrote something in it that I needed to remember. And now I forgot it, so I need it."The dark-haired girl gave her friend an uncertain look, wondering for a moment if she had gone a bit mental."Okay... if you say so." The familiar sight of the fat lady almost made Lily let out a breath of relief. However, before she could utter the password, the sound of her name almost made her jump.

"Lily! Cas!"

Turning around, she was met with the slight of the two boys she had thought about not too long ago. Sirius looked as happy as every while Remus was munching on a chocolate piece, looking rather pleased. "you two going in?" Cassie nodded at her brother and gave Remus a slight chuckle as she saw the end of a chocolate bar sticking out of his pocket. "Yeah.. apparently Lilypad here forgot her charms book in the common room. Told her she could have borrowed mine, however..."

"Yes, well. I wrote something in the book that I need for my essay." While Cassie and Sirius were too busy looking at her, Lily looked at Remus, who was shaking his head, trying not to laugh at her.

"Anyway.. come on."Cassie said the password and walked in along with her brother while Remus walked up to Lily and gave her an amused look.

"Wrote something important in your charms book, huh?"

"Oh, shut up." He laughed as they entered the dark common room just in time. Suddenly the lights turned on and up jumped several people while yelling at the top of their lungs.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!"

Cassie jumped slightly at the sound before letting a brilliant smile cover her lips. Her brown eyes shone bright with joy as she looked at her friends and quidditch teammates across the room. Sirius had an identical look on his face as he took in decorations and was eyeing a table filled with delicious-looking food. The common room was filled with several red and golden balloons, and over by one of the windows were several balloons enchanted to spell out 17. There was a big maroon banner hanging across the burning fireplace that was enchanted to change between Happy 17th Sirius & Cassie to what looked like a drawing version of the twins smiling down at the others while occasionally making funny faces.

"Surprise!" James walked out from behind one of the chairs while wearing a yellow birthday hat on his head. Just the sight of him made Sirius burst out laughing. "Nice hat, James."

"Oh, don't think you're not gonna wear one." Before Sirius could react, Lily had taken a hat from the table next to her and placed one on the boy's head before doing the same to Cassie.

"I must say yellow is your color."Remus gave the older boy a grin before walking over to the couch where the other people had gathered themselves. Cassie bumped her elbow into her brother and sent him a knowing grin before following her friend.

When decorating, the group had moved some chairs over to the couch and laid a few pillows on the floor, making room for everyone to sit. The couch was occupied by Marlene, Dorcas, and the Gryffindor seeker Keryn Jones, who were all wearing yellow hats, while laughing at something Cassie had said when sitting down in a chair next to them. Along with Peter, Remus sat on the floor with chaser Ava Fraser, keeper Ewan Murphy and beater Stephen Collins. Lily clapped Sirius gently on his back before joining the others occupying a chair next to Frank's.

James put an arm over Sirius's shoulders as they stood for a moment, looking at their friends and admiring the common room. "This is brilliant, Prongs. Thank you."

"I'm not the one you should be thanking, couldn't have done it without any of them." James nodded towards the group before deciding to join them, sitting next to Ewan, while Sirius joined Remus. A few minutes passed before Alice stood up from her chair, lifting a basket and placing it on the table. There was a dark green blanket hiding whatever it was the basket held.

"Okay, so after thinking for a good while. We decided why not go a little all-out for you two. So well, wanna have some fun?" She pulled the blanket off, revealing bottles of firewhiskey. The common room was filled with cheers, as bottle after bottle suddenly disappeared from the basket and was sent around the room.

\------------

"Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen!!!!!!" Cassie sang out while moving her body to the beat of the music, and had she been sober, she would have been thankful that the common room had been filled with silencing charms earlier that evening. However, right now, she was having too much fun to care. An hour earlier, Frank had come with the idea of putting a spell on the recorder, making the music play much louder than before. Which was why everyone was currently either dancing around or sitting in a circle playing a muggle game Lily had suggested.

"Where's the firewhiskey?!"

"Here!" Lily trusted the bottle in the air while standing up, or rather trying to, as her foot gave out, making her crash into Marlene, who only laughed at her. "It's coming!" She managed to make her way over to the table Cassie and Dorcas had occupied. Cassie quickly opened the bottle and took a long sip before handing the bottle to Dorcas and then held out her hand to Lily. "Come on, Lils, join us."

The redhead took the bottle from her friend and took a long sip before getting on top of the table. The three girls looked happy as ever, dancing on top of the table while passing around a bottle of firewhiskey. Marlene laughed at the girls before moving her gaze around the room, seeing Keryn and Stephen sitting together in a chair while kissing. Alice sat happily on the floor, in Frank's sweater while Frank wore Alice's top, sulking a bit from the dare he had just received from Peter. While said boy and a shirtless Sirius were laughing their hearts out at the look on Frank's face. Remus, who was grinning mischievously while swaying from side to side, was for the moment sitting behind Sirius, busy writing or rather drawing something on the back of the shirtless birthday boy. Upon seeing his friend's drawing, James broke into a laugh and pointed out something which the sandy-haired boy eagerly agreed to.

Marlene turned her gaze back to the girls, seeing Lily twirl Dorcas around while Cassie was busy with the bottle. The girls burst out laughing when they almost lost their balance and fell off the table had they not caught the arms of the drinking girl.The blonde smirked when the perfect idea fell into her head. "Oy Potter, look at that" She lightly punched James's arm while pointing towards the three dancing girls who were singing at the top of their lungs and passing around a bottle of firewhiskey.

Moving his gaze to what the blonde was pointing towards, James thought for a moment that maybe he had drunken too much, as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Lily Evans was dancing around on a table while chugging the last of the firewhiskey, looking absolutely drunk. She raised the bottle once again and turned it completely upside down when nothing came. "Any firewhiskey left?"

James spotted a bottle poking out of the basket next to him and grabbed it, making his way towards the dancing girl. He almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous they sounded, as they were now singing very offkey. "You called?" He said while holding up the bottle, watching as her eyes lighted up when she saw it. Just as she was about to reach for the bottle, the table wobbled as Remus had decided that he wanted to join the dancing. Losing her footing, she fell and landed right in James's arms.

Her green eyes met his hazel, and James thought that this had to be the closes the pair had ever been, as he could almost feel her breath on his lips. Frozen up, he honestly had no idea what to do. The only thing he could hear though over the music was the overpowering sound of his heartbeat. However, unlike him, Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him slightly closer. Her eyes were blazing with something James had never seen before and thought that he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or just her, but the way she smiled at him took his breath away.

Her gaze shifted from his eyes and down to his lips as she did something she wouldn't have done if she wasn't drunk.

She kissed him.


	13. Who drew wings on my back?

Warning: There is some cursing further down, not much but just thought you ought to know.

Soft snores and occasional mumbles filled the dormitory the next day. Somehow during the night, all beds had surprisingly been filled with their owners, except Dorcas's as she was currently sharing with Marlene. The room looked cleaner than you would have thought, though the floor was filled with yesterday's clothes, and several ballons were currently occupying the ceiling.

A loud, rather persistent tapping sound came from one of the windows, and a groan was heard from Lily as she placed her pillow over her head to block the sound out. Cassie had pulled her comforter above her head while Alice just tried to ignore it, hoping it would disappear. It felt as if the more the girls ignored it, the more the sound grew. However, Lily grew more and more annoyed with every tap until she just couldn't take it anymore. "What the bloody hell is that?"

Alice rubbed her eyes while lifting her head unwillingly from her pillow and looked over to the window between Lily and Cassie's beds. For a moment cursing the person who forgot to draw the curtains last night as a ray of light hit her face. She let out a deep sigh at what she saw and let her head drop back down on her pillow, cursing herself as a punding started. "Its Nova"

The sound continued, and for a moment, being as tired as she was, Lily considered to ignore it, that was until the screeching started. "For goodness sake, Cas, let that bloody owl in."

A loud groan appeared from the bed next to her, and not too long after, the dark-haired girl sat up in her bed, looking exhausted. She pulled on a jumper before making her way over to the window and opened it. Nova glared at the girl, and Cassie wondered for a moment if she might try to bite her as she looked awfully annoyed. Though was bothered Cassie the most was the question of how the owl had even gotten out. As far as she remembered, she hadn't sent any letters lately, and she never sent Nova out at night unless it was necessary. Cassie looked at the letter the owl dropped in front of her and turned it around to see a familiar green seal and felt dread fill her immediately.

"Oh, fuck." Her eyes moved a few inches higher before widening significantly. "Oh fuck fuck fuck..."

Lily lifted her head from her pillow and saw her friend's face go a few shades lighter than normal, gawking at the letter she held in her hands. "What is it?" Drowsiness filled her voice as she let out a yawn.

"It's from Rabastan..." Alice shot up from the bed; however, she immediately placed a hand on her forehead and moaned as the pounding got louder. Gently she rubbed her forehead before looking at her friend, who was currently sitting in her bed and was furiously reading the letter. "Oh dear... this is bad.. this is very bad."

Lily raised herself from her bed and crossed the floor before placing herself on Cassis's bed, leaning over the girl's shoulders to read the letter. "Apparently, I sent him a letter asking him to meet me in Hogsmeade on Saturday... And he agreed." Alice looked confused for a moment and wondered how she would do that, as there were no Hogsmeade trips until Christmas. "That's not all." Lily took the letter out of her friend's fingers. "Apparently, she said something that he liked as he thought she was quite funny. This truly makes no sense at all. It's like looking at a conversation where half of the context is missing... which it is."

The letter was quickly taken out of Lily's hand. Alice, who had made her way over to the two, let her eyes scan the letter before letting out a snort, and a teasing smile appeared on her tired face. "You sent a drunken letter to Rabastan, and you don't remember what you wrote?"

Giggles erupted from behind the trio, making them all turn around facing the two girls in Marlene's bed, who was now half-awake, grinning at their newfound information. Cassies' face grew hotter as moments passed, and she had never felt a more need to throw herself into the black lake as she did then. "Oh.. sorry. You don't remember sending that letter?" The blonde looked at her friend, who only shook her head in response. Cassie looked confused for a moment before her eyes widened, and she seemed almost speechless. "Wait... you do?!"

Marlene smiled sheepishly while letting out a hesitant laugh, looking a bit guilty. "I would have stopped you."

"Oh, would you really?" Lily sent her friend a suspicious look while shaking her head disapprovingly. Alice, however, struggled to keep a straight face as she knew that wasn't true. "Of course. Had it not had been because I was rather drunk, and you were rather persistent. I mean... you wouldn't even tell me what was in the letter. I just heard you laughing to yourself a few times before sending it." Cassie buried her head in her hands before muttering out curses, hoping to Merlin that she didn't write anything too embarrassing. It wasn't like she could ask him to send the letter back.

Dorcas lifted her head with a wicked smile present on her face and looked at Cassie before moving her gaze to the redhead. "If you think that is bad. You should hear what little miss prefect did." All eyes turned to the red-haired, who looked somewhat confused at the statement. "What are you talking about?" The blonde shared a look with her girlfriend before a similar smile grew on her lips as she started to recall what happened."You don't remember?" Marlene smiled teasingly at first but seeing the growing confusion on Lilys face made her smile falter slightly. "You really don't remember?" Lily shook her head before letting out a sigh. "You think I'd ask you if I did?"

Though she didn't look like it, Lily felt slightly afraid, as she had no recollections of the night after daring Sirius to let everyone write something on his back with a marker, though there were something about dancing on a table. "What happened?" Just as Dorcas was about to open her mouth, Alice looked down at her wrist, looking absolutely panicked when she saw the time. "Okay, look, I'd love to hear this, I really do. But breakfast ends in 30 minutes, and we are nowhere near dressed."

Cassie groaned as the mention of food was heard.

"Oh, I could do with something salty right now," Marlene said while tumbling out of bed and looked for a clean shirt. Only to stop when she couldn't find any, she opened several of the drawers, moving clothes around to see if they were hidden in between, but no such luck."Have anyone seen my shirts?" The girls looked at Marlene, who was still staring at the dresser. While Dorcas and Alice looked at each other before their eyes widened, Alice was fighting a grin from appearing and made herself busy with getting ready so the blonde girl wouldn't notice it.

"Why don't you borrow one of mine for the day." Dorcas laughed nervously while avoiding meeting her girlfriend's gaze and silently cursing Alice and herself for their late-night mischievousness. As she moved towards her own bed, she muttered under her breath. "Suppose you have some treasure hunting to do later..."

\-------------------

Opening his eyes, the first thing Remus saw was James sitting on top of his own bed, his eyes dull and his face looking as if he was in a trance-like state staring into nothing. For a moment, he wondered just what had happened to the boy, before memories of last night came flooding back, though before he could even think about what happened to James. Remus was struck by his memories of his own drunken doing, which he still remembered.

Unfortunately.

He almost wanted to die of embarrassment, just thinking about his choice of dancing on top of a table. Sitting up, he gazed around the room, seeing the two empty beds of Frank and Peter, while meeting the sight of a shirtless Sirius, who was currently standing with his back facing the mirror, looking over his shoulder to examine the several writings on his back.

"Okay, first of all.. who drew wings on my back?" His frustration was evident in his voice, and Remus had to hide the grin that started to appear. Several scribbles and a few small drawings covered the boy's back, but the most noticeable one was two large wings drawn on his shoulder blades. "You did say you wanted to be an angel."

"No," Sirius turned his gaze towards the boy and sent him a look of disbelief while putting his hands on his hips. "I said I was as beautiful as an angel. There's a difference."

"Well, if I recall correctly, you seemed very pleased with them yesterday. Didn't you go around saying something along the line of look at my beautiful wings."

"At least I didn't go dancing on tables." Sirius sent him a look while Remus felt his face flush as he closed his eyes, wishing for nothing more than the bed to swallow him whole. "Oh, don't remind me. Not one of my proudest moments."A grin appeared on the older boy's face as he quickly looked over to their dazed friend. "Speaking of proudest moments, you'd think he be a little bit happier. After six years and he finally kissed the girl.»

"Technically, he never kissed her. She kissed him" Sirius shrugged while Remus rolled his eyes before looking back at James and couldn't help but feel concerned when there was no reaction. "You okay, prongs?" It was as if the boy didn't hear him. Remus lifted his comforter and moved himself over to the younger boy's bed, sitting down in front of him, trying to catch his gaze but no such luck. He noticed the slightly dark rings that had appeared under James's eyes during the night.

"You look exhausted. Did you get any sleep at all?" Turning away from the mirror, Sirius looked at his two friends while raising an eyebrow and bore a slightly amused grin on his face. "Tell me.. did that really happen? Or did I imagine it?"

"It happened," said Remus while not moving his eyes from James.

"Nice one, James." Sirius sent him a proud grin. However, it was that moment that he too noticed the lack of response from the boy. Usually, James would reply with a smile on his face and ready with a high five; however, he didn't. In all his years of knowing James, he had never seen the boy quite like this. "Prongs.." He waved his hand in front of James's face a few times while calling out to him. "Hello?"

"James?"

"Jamie?"

"James?"

"I think he's broken, Moony," Sirius said as he turned to look at the boy next to him. Remus opened his mouth to answer; however, he was interrupted by Peter, who entered their dormitory, and smiled as he saw that his friends were awake. "Hey guys, you're finally up." He walked over to his bed and sat down facing the three other marauders, and Remus was for once surprised that Peter was the only one already dressed in his uniform while the rest wasn't.

"Was he like this when you woke up, Pete?" "When did you wake up?" Remus and Sirius spoke simultaneously, surprised the two looked at each other for a moment before Remus looked away when Sirius sent him a smile. A thoughtful look covered the blonde boy's face as he thought back to just a few hours ago. "He's been like that ever since we came up here. And I woke up two hours ago. I've been playing Wizards chess with Frank in the common room."

"He's been like that since last night?" Peter only nodded at the sandy-haired boy before looking at James and sighed. He was thinking back to earlier that morning when he and Frank tried to get any reaction from the boy but were unsuccessful. "Yeah... I think she finally broke him." Sirius nodded in agreement while Remus glanced at his watch for a moment before standing up and moved over to a dresser. He took out a white shirt and threw it in Sirius's direction, hitting the boy straight in his face. A grin spread across his face as he moved towards his own dresser.

"Breakfast ends in 30 minutes. Wanna go before class?" A groan filled the room while Sirius took the shirt off his face and proceeded to put it on slowly. It was as if every button was a milestone that he didn't want to meet. Although his headache wasn't the worst he'd ever had, there was nothing more tempting than to crawl back into bed and just lay there for the remaining day. "Do we have to go to class today?"

"Yes, Sirius, we have to." Leaning down to tie his shoelaces, Remus couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at the whining that sounded just like the one a sad dog makes, which came from Sirius. Sometimes he was indeed more dog than a person. After tying his tie, Remus walked over to James's dresser and took out a pair of pants, a clean shirt, and a sweater, bringing them to his friend's bed and returned to his earlier seat in front of the boy.

"Hey, James.. want to get some food down before defense against the dark arts?" At first, no response came, until a rather loud sound was heard from his stomach at the mention of food,and then what sounded like an approving grunt came from James as he finally seemed to become aware of his surroundings.

————————

Lily was currently smearing some jam on her scones while occasionally shifting her glare between Dorcas and Marlene, who both were grinning awfully a lot while moving their eyes around the great hall as if looking for someone. Looking to her right, Lily saw a mess of dark hair slightly slouching over the table. Cassie, who currently had no appetite for proper food, was sneaking in some salty crackers she had gotten from the kitchen, careful not to let many people notice. Lily leaned slightly closer to her friend and whispered. "What's the last thing you remember?"

The girl looked at her before thinking back to the night before, trying to recall at what moment she lost her memories. "Ehh... I think it was something with wanting balloons, no... wait. I remember... Remus almost pushing me off the table when he wanted to join us .." Cassie looked very concentrated as she furred her eyebrows. There was something, she thought, it was as if it was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite reach it.

"And then?"

"And then I turned around and..." she went quiet for a moment before she gave Lily the strangest look and laughed. "No... I must have been completely drunk if I imagined that." she shook her head while continuing to laugh as if the idea of what happened seemed utterly ridiculous to her. "There's no way that would have happened."

"But it did." Faster than lightning, Cassie turned her head towards the girl across her and looked at her as if she had grown three heads. Dorcas, who had overheard their conversation, wore a smug smirk on her face while at the same time, shifting her gaze between the two girls. "No..."

"Oh yeah."

"Really?" Cassie shook her head in disbelief while Dorcas only nodded in return, though when she looked towards Lily, she sort of wished she hadn't. The girl currently wore an expression of pure annoyance, and her green eyes narrowed slightly. In all truth, Lily looked angry. "Now, if you two don't mind, I would appreciate it if you told me what happened." The two girls looked at each other before looking back at Lily. "Okay, sorry. So when Remus came to join us on top of the table, you, sort of, lost your balance and..."

Just as she was about to reveal what happened, Dorcas was again interrupted, this time by a group of familiar Gryffindors, who sat down with them.

"Hey, guys."Remus was so surprised by the glare he received from Lily that for a moment, he wondered if she might go off on him. Though remembering last night, he wasn't entirely surprised.

"Hey, Lily... I'm sorry for, you know," he started while giving her an apologetic smile,"pushing you off the table last night." His face heated slightly up as he thought about last night; however, Lily wasn't having any of that. "Remus John Lupin, are you kidding me? I was just about to find out what happened last night." It wasn't until that moment that James truly said something. However, his voice was quiet and unsure, as if he didn't want to say anything at all. "You..you don't remember what happened?"

Lily felt her anger disappear as she switched her gaze from the guilty-looking Remus to the tired-looking James, who looked at her in disbelief. As far as she could remember from last night, James hadn't been that drunk, but at the moment, he looked more tired than Alice, who was currently dozing on Marlene's shoulder, which made her wonder if he had even slept.

"No, I don't."

James let out a deep sigh before running his fingers through his hair in frustration, he had spent all night worrying about what would happen the next day, and she didn't even remember it. Had this been any other time, James might have understood, however as he hadn't got a wink of sleep in over twenty-four hours and was currently rather hungry as well, he felt slightly annoyed if not disappointed at the girl.

Lily was caught off guard, not just by the look in his eyes, but the way he looked at her at the moment. He stared at her with disappointment for a while before he simply shook his head and stood up from the table. "I'm going to eat in the kitchen. See you guys in class." The boys looked at him in slight surprise but nodded their heads. It was as if Lily's eyes were glued to his back as she watched him walk a few steps before stopping and turning his head slightly towards her. "Next time, for everyone's sake, don't go around kissing people and forget about it."

The minute James walked out of the great hall, Sirius stood up and tousled Remus's hair slightly before smiling. "I'm gonna go with him. See you later." Remus smiled at him before turning his gaze to Lily, who was staring at her plate with an unreadable expression on her face. A few moments passed before she looked up and prepared herself for what came next.

"What did he mean by that?" She turned her eyes towards Remus, who gave her a sympathetic smile. "Remus.." Her face had gone a few shades lighter while her eyes were wide with either slight fright or something that Remus couldn't recognize. He was quite sure that she knew what he was about to say but that she wouldn't believe it unless he told her.

"You kissed him, Lily. You kissed James."


	14. Demon Goblin Mutant

The two days following up to Saturday felt like the slowest ones yet during this semester, or at least that's what Cassie thought. James and Lily had hardly been seen together; however, whenever one saw the other, their faces would heat up, and they immediately turned on their heels and went the opposite direction. Seeing as it was Saturday, all Hogwarts students who would normally be wearing the school uniform had now exchanged them for their casual clothes. Something that was quite a relief to Cassie as it would make it easier for her to blend in and not stick out like a sour thumb sneaking around the halls.

During the last days, the same thoughts had continuously been circling her mind. What did she write to him? Why on earth did she write to him? and though she was a bit embarrassed to say it out loud, thank god she hadn't drunken away all of her brain cells back then and actually had the wits about her to say Saturday instead of a school day. It would have been slightly trickier to sneak out of the castle between divination and defense against the dark arts. However, being friends with a group of infamous pranksters did give her some advantage when sneaking out. Finding them, though, had been a little harder than she imagined, or at least finding the right marauder.

She could have asked her brother or Remus as they were the two she had seen the most; she supposed she could have asked Peter too, seeing as he had been easier to find. Yet, it wasn't really them she needed. James Potter had probably been the hardest boy to find at Hogwarts in the last two days, as he had never been in one place too long. When she had first asked Remus, he told her that James had gone to the quidditch pitch earlier that day; however, when she came there and found Sirius flying around on a broom, he told her that James went to Hagrid.

When Cassie went to Hagrid, she was told that he had returned to the castle just minutes before her, which almost made the girl want to rip her head off. Although she was a chaser on the quidditch team, it wasn't a past time of hers to go spend her morning chasing after her friends. However, she did manage to catch up with him just before he entered the common room.

"Thanks for this, James, really. I don't want to take the chance of getting detention with Filch, again..." He smiled while handing her the cloak and the map. The map had been easy enough to borrow; it had been the cloak that had needed some persuading. James trusted her with his life; it wasn't that. However, she might have accidentally misplaced the cloak on the floor one night when they were out and about, which ended in Cassie plus the Marauders, or rather the marauders excluding Remus, as he was keeping watch on the map, crawling and feeling around the corridor floor for an hour or two after curfew.

"No problem, just try not to lose the cloak. It's easy to misplace, as you might know." He grinned at her for a moment before a somewhat nervous look covered his face as he ran his hand through his hair. He was quiet for a while before he started talking. "How's Lily? I haven't seen her around much." She gave him a comforting smile though thinking of her friend made her let out a slight sigh. "She's hiding out in the library. I don't know who's trying to avoid who more, you or her." She looked away for a moment while running her fingers through her hair before looking back at him. «Why don't you just talk to her? I mean, you didn't mean it did you?"

"Of course not!" he burst out so sudden that Cassie, whose eyes were now wide opened, looked almost startled. "I... What if she hates me now? I shouldn't have said anything."

Seeing the terror in his eyes, Cassie couldn't help but sympathize with the boy.

"I understand... I mean.. you've practically been in love with her for years, and finally, when you get to kiss her, she doesn't even remember." Hoping to cheer him up a bit, she continued jokingly. "At least it wasn't your first kiss." A redness covered James's face as he immediately looked to the ground and refused to met his friend's eyes. She let out a slight gasp as she covered her mouth in shock. "It was. Oh, James... your first kiss, and she doesn't even remember it." James ran his hand through his hair yet again as he let out a tired and deep sigh, eyes still glued at the floor.

"Well... it didn't help that she passed out afterward. Just please don't mention it around Sirius. you have no idea how hard I've been trying to get him to shut up for the last two days." Looking dejected, he continued. "I'm almost surprised the entire school doesn't know." With her hand that wasn't holding the cloak and the map, Cassie reached for James's and gave it a comforting squeeze. Looking up, he saw a gentle smile present on her face. "Trust me. I'll keep your secret."

A smile was shared between the two friends, and a little while later, the pair went their separate ways, as Cassie made her way to the dormitory to get ready for meeting Rabastan.

* * *

The trip to Hogsmeade had gone by faster than she thought it would as she exited Honydukes and made her way into a small ally so she could take off the cloak. After folding it together, she opened her purse and put it in, thanking Remus for the undetectable extension charm. Looking down at her wrist, her eyes widened when the dark-haired girl saw that she was a few minutes late. Speeding up her steps, she walked fast to the three broomsticks, letting out a small yelp as she slipped on some ice before regaining her steps.

The Hogsmeade streets were quieter and emptier than it had been the last time the girl had walked there. However, the wind was just as strong as then, if not even more. As the months changed from October to November, the school grounds and Hogsmeade now laid covered in white blankets of snow, and as the days got colder, the winds got harsher. Cassie held tightly on to her maroon coat and felt her scarf hit her face as she neared her destination. Entering the pub, she barely had the chance to catch her breath before she saw Rabastan sitting by one of the tables reading an edition of the daily prophet. Cassie let the familiar warmth and the smell of butterbeer wash over her as she untied her scarf and put it in her purse.

She moved towards him in quick steps, not noticing a chair that was dragged halfway out on the floor. Just as she reached Rabastan, her foot got caught in the chair's legs, which sent her flying forward. She braced herself for pain, not at all expecting a pair of strong arms to grab her by her waist and steady her. Cassie looked up and met the warm eyes of the boy whose arms were currently holding her waist. "You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." He held her gaze for a moment, letting her soft whispering voice fill his ears, before letting his arms fall and taking a step back, giving her some space. The feeling of his warm hands leaving her affected the girl in a way she didn't think possible, as she felt a sudden longing, wishing they would have stayed there longer. Though as soon as those thoughts came, she shook them from her mind. As they sat down at their table, he sent her a teasing grin. «Didn't take the Black family for being clumsy." This caused her to laugh as she proceeded to take off her jacket while giving him an amused look. "Then you haven't met my cousin. She's only three but trips over anything; she'd probably have an assigned bed at St. Mungos if it weren't for her sister."

A broad smile covered her lips as she thought about the two Tonks twins and how they were already enough trouble for Andy and Ted at only the age of three. Seeing the curious expression on his face, she couldn't blame him for not knowing, as she was sure the topic of the disowned daughter of the Black family wasn't a rather popular one. Just as she had opened her mouth to answer, a waiter came and took their order. The moment he left, Cassie returned her gaze to Rabastan, who was already looking at her. "They're not really my cousins. Well... In a way, they are; they're my cousin's daughters."

Rabastan nodded his head as he finally understood what or rather who she was talking about. "They're Andromeda's children, right?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "Little Nymphadora and Andora Tonks, adorable girls, but tiny mischief makers those two."

"How so?"

The pair fixed their gaze on the waiter coming closer and closer with their mugs of butter beers. Cassie immediately took her mug and let the familiar sweet taste fill her mouth as she drank from it, while Rabastan raised an eyebrow as he watched the drinking girl. Just as he was bout to take a sip of his own mug, he heard what sounded like a satisfied moan coming from her. Cassie sent him a curious gaze when she noticed the look he was giving her as she put her mug down on the table, though he just shook his head while grinning at her as he took a sip of his drink.

Remembering their conversation, the girl quickly got back on the topic of the young twins. "They're twins, but they're not identical, so one would think that telling them apart wouldn't be too hard, right?" Grinning at him, she continued. "However, they are both metamorphmagus, who really like the fact that they can change into each other." Rabastan seeing where this was going, smiled in amusement. "That must drive their parents mad." He said as he took another mouthful of butterbeer. "Only Dromeda," Cassie responded, smiling at the thought of her cousin's frustration. "You know, one day while Ted was bathing Andora, Andromeda walked by and saw them, and then a little while later when she came down to the living room, she thought she had gone mental for a moment as there was another Andora watching tv. Ted just finds the whole thing amusing." Laughing, she lifted her mug.

"Well. Being a metamorphmagus sounds like something that could be extremely handy sometimes." She nodded in agreement while taking a big sip. However, Rabastan burst out laughing as she set her mug down. "You have a little something here." He pointed to the corner of his lips, making her aware of the foam resting by her mouth. Her cheeks grew into a soft pink color as she quickly wiped a napkin around her mouth, clearing her throat, and looked at the boy whose laughter had died down to small chuckles. And couldn't help herself but admire him, or more like his eyes that shone warm with amusement, the way his brown hair looked effortlessly styled, and his smile. His smile was rather pleasant to look at.

Cassie had to admit that he was good looking, and as she was getting to know him more, she liked how he was, honestly nothing like she expected. "You are not how I expected you would be." He looked taken back by the statement, yet he thought for a moment before replying. "What were you expecting?"

_That you'd be an egocentric sadistic ass, just like your brother_ , were the exact words going through Cassie's head, but she decided that it was best if she didn't say them. However, no other words came to her mind, and seeing her hesitation, Rabastan spoke. "Let me guess, someone like my brother?" As he spoke, the understanding tone in his voice was obvious, as if he already expected that to be her answer.

"Would it be bad if I said yes?" Leaning forward, he shook his head gently. "I don't blame you. I know how Rodolphus is." A strange glint shone in his eyes as he looked at her. "I'm not my brother; I'm glad you see that." There was something about how he said it that made Cassie ask something she probably shouldn't have. "Are there some who don't see it?" A haunting look covered his eyes, as he looked slightly sad yet a bit regretful for telling her. His eyes lost some of its warmth as they were glued to the table. "My parents." He didn't say more than that. He didn't need to say more than that; Cassie had lived long enough to know just how complicated family can be. And, she could tell there was some history there.

Seeing his broad shoulders tense up and his face darken slightly at the mention of his parents, with a burst of courage, Cassie took hold of his hand that was lying on the table and gave it a gentle but comforting squeeze. She met his gaze as he looked up at her in surprise, and an understanding look was shared between the pair.

"I have a confession to make." Smiling sheepishly at him, she changed the topic. "I honestly have no memory of the letter i wrote to you." His shoulders relaxed, and she could see the warmth slowly returning in his eyes, along with a small grin dancing on his lips. "I know." Raising her eyebrows, she looked at the boy in pure confusion, and her voice went a pitch higher as she spoke. "You know?"

He nodded at first, but seeing the slightly worried look on her face, he decided to elaborate. "Well, I suspected as much, though you did tell me there was a chance you wouldn't remember it in the morning." He turned slightly and started to fumble with his coat pockets for a while before a white envelope appeared in his hand. Smiling reassuringly at Cassie, he handed her the letter, though she was a bit hesitant when taking it. In fact, she was not sure if she wanted to know what was in the letter.

The girl had two options, one, read the letter and live with the embarrassment that came along with it, or two, take the letter, don't read it, and burn it when she returned to the common room. The second option was the most tempting one. However, Cassie was a bit too curious, and she knew if she didn't read it, she'd be even more curious. And if she burned it, she would regret it. She took a deep breath as she looked up and was met with a teasing grin.

Against her better judgment, she opened the letter. And the first sentence alone was enough for her cheeks to catch fire.

_My dear future husband_

_I'm having the time of my life!_

_I'm not sure if you know, seeing as I haven't received a letter today, but it's my birthday or was... I'm not sure what the time is..._

_And.... and the best part is Lily kissed James!_

_LILY KISSED JAMES!!_

_I knew she liked him. They're gonna get married and have several kids.... everything was going perfect until SOMEONE (Lily) had to pass out._

_Maybe James's kisses kill people. Thank god I'm never kissing him. Bleah. "there was a drawing of a disgusted face."_

_Anyway, I really really really want to see you again, why don't you come here now?_

_You could apparate, and you should see the number of balloons I brought up here, we have a ballon sky in the ceiling. Instead of star gazing, we can go ballon gazing._

_Oh, that's genius_

_I always knew I was the smart Black...Ghihihi..._

_Or what about Saturday? When I'm not drunk or hungover.. though, it would be less fun than right now._

_I need to go... Marlene is staring at me weirdly... think she might eat me?_

_What if she's secretly a demon goblin mutant or something._

_I hope I see you and your bloody fantastic smile soon_

~~_Love your fiance_ ~~

~~_Future Wife_ ~~

~~_Wife_ ~~

~~_Casipia_ ~~

_C._

_P.S just so you know, I see some blue hippogriffs flying around the room now, so I might not remember this._

Ignoring her several failing attempts at signing the letter, she could see most of the words crossed out except for the C. Cassie immediately buried her face in her hands while taking several deep breaths to calm herself. What it the bloody hell was the matter with her? Sure, it was all embarrassing.. but for the love of merlin, she could've at least have written her name right. Lifting her eyes slightly, she regretted reading the letter when she saw the smug look on Rabastan's face.

"So, you like my smile, huh?" Her face flushed brighter than before and found its way back to her hands, refusing to look anywhere near him. A burst of warm laughter was heard from him, which continued for a while before he stopped and looked at her. "I'm only joking." Seeing her head rising slowly and the brown eyes of hers starting to appear, he continued jokingly. "Flattered, though, especially since you thought I could apparate to Hogwarts. I must say, I really liked the part with the demon goblin mutant." Biting back a laugh, she smiled at him, meeting his gaze before taking a sip from her drink.

"Though I was wondering... how are you here? I mean, it's not Hogsmeade weekend, so how did you manage to get out?" A mischievous smile grew on her lips as her entire face literally said, _I've done something I shouldn't have, and I'm proud of it._ "Magic," she said while winking at him. He stared at her in disbelief for a moment before she continued."Why don't you let me worry about that? Maybe we can meet outside of the Hogsmeade trips too?"

"I'd like that very much." The two smiled at each other for a moment, not noticing the waiter getting closer until he stood in front of them. "Would you like a refill?" He shifted his gaze between the two, catching both of their eager nods. Taking their empty glasses, he turned around and left.

"Anyway.." Cassie started as she watched the waiter go and turned to look at rabastan to continue. "What have you told my mother? I haven't heard anything from her, not sure if I should be pleased or worried." He scratched himself on the back of his neck as he looked down, and a small smile appeared on his lips. "I..eh.. might not have told anyone that I've been seeing you.» Cassie looked slightly taken back by the statement, not at all expecting that answer. Clearing her throat gently, she asked him. «Why?»

As he looked up, he almost wanted to laugh at the surprised look on her face, though he couldn't blame her. Honestly, the thought of telling anyone at home hadn't been anywhere near his mindset, and knowing how his brother was, Rabastan decided it was for the best to keep quiet. Besides, it was more comfortable like this, without any of their family knowing, there weren't any expectations on them. And they could be just like they wanted to be, themselves. "I...I thought it might be easier for us to get to know each other without any influence from our parents.» Leaning back in her chair, she couldn't help but let a smile spread across her face. "I suppose you're right."

Seeing the brilliant smile that she wore and the way her eyes were lit up, Rabastan didn't even try to stop the smile that appeared, and just for a moment, the two were lost in their own little world as they sat smiling at each other.

"Here you go." The two mugs that were placed down on the table broke the stare between the pair. Cassie and Rabastan had been too caught up in each other that they had failed to notice the waiter coming back with their drinks. "Thank you." Cassie smiled at the waiter before taking her mug and lifted it to her lips. As they both took a sip of their butterbeer, a ridiculous grin appeared on the girl as they sat down their mugs. For a moment, she wondered if she should tell him or just let him sit like that for a little while. What harm could that do? Though he looked a bit confused for a moment, a smug grin quickly spread across his lips as he took his napkin and wiped off the foam resting on the upper side of his lips.

Cassie felt a bit disappointed that she wouldn't get the chance to make him blush just as he had done to her earlier, though he just sat there grinning proudly at himself. You'd almost think he'd read her mind. He sent her a wink as they shared yet another smile and spent the rest of the afternoon talking and taking joy whenever they made the other blush.


	15. If looks could kill...

It had been over a week since the twins' birthday party, and every day since a certain redhead had spent her days studying in the library, she wasn't quite sure if she was actually trying to study or just hiding from a certain messy haired boy. Though if you asked her roommates, they would've said it was the latter. Lily was currently sitting with her transfigurations homework in front of her; however, she'd been reading over the same page for at least twenty minutes without any progress. Letting out a deep sigh, she buried her face in her hands, finally resigning to the fact that she was not going to get any work done.

After Remus told her that she kissed James, Lily had also found out that, including passing out just afterward, she had even danced on a table and had to get dragged up to the dormitory by Alice and Marlene. Just the thought of the night caused Lily's face to turn several shades darker, though the main reason for that was the boy who would not leave her mind. The way he looked at her the day after the party was something the girl had thought about quite often, though to be honest, she had mixed feelings about it all. Confusion, embarrassment, sadness, but most of all, frustration filled her. Sure she kissed James, but the fact that he got angry over something out of her control was frustrating. It wasn't like she decided to forget. She'd rather remember herself, but what can one do?

"There you are. I've been looking for you." Startled, she lifted her head from her hands and immediately met a pair of amber eyes. "Oh, it's just you." a breath of relief was heard as she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Remus sent her a curious gaze as he sat down on the opposite side of her. Studying her, he could see the relieved expression on her red face, and knowing her as well as he did, he already knew what was going on in her mind. "Though I was James, did you?"

She opened her eyes and nodded slightly. Though seeing the small smile growing on his face, she immediately knew Remus was enjoying her embarrassed state. She considered sending him a glare but knew that it would only amuse him further. "For a moment, then I remembered he's been avoiding me as much as I've been avoiding him." Remus glanced at her, feeling uncertain about his next move."Have you... maybe...I don't know... considered talking to him?" The words left his lips carefully as if he was threading on ice on deep water, which by the look Lily was giving him, he was.

"So, I can have him look at me like that again?" Shaking her head, she furred her eyebrows as she continued, "Not a chance." Propping her elbows on the table, she ran her fingers through her red locks. When looking up, she didn't notice it at first, but the growing glint of frustration in Remus's eyes was getting more and more prominent. "Honestly, you two are just as stubborn. If you had any children, they'd be the stubbornest children to walk this earth."

"Remus!" Screeching, her eyes shot wide open as she sat gaping at her friend. The red haired's loud voice had carried a few feet, catching the attention of someone they'd rather avoid. "Shhh!" Madam Pince's stern face appeared from behind the bookshelf and stared hard at the two, specifically on Lily. Her eyes moved down to the prefect badge on her uniform, and if possible, her glare hardened even more; she gave a final stare before returning to her desk. Remus snickered quietly as he took in the bright red face of his friend. She stared at him for a while and saw that any trace of frustration had now disappeared, most likely due to the disapproving stare she just had received from the librarian.

"What? I'm serious," joked Remus while grinning at her as she just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You've been spending too much time with Sirius." The boy looked almost dejected as he thought about the dark-haired boy he had seen not one hour ago. "More like not enough. Sometimes I wonder if he's really that ignorant or just plain stupid."

"You know, if you need love advice, you should ask Marley or maybe Cassie." Lily barely had the chance to finish talking as a loud thud sound filled the small corner as a stack of books appeared on the table. "What about me?" Turning their gaze up, a familiar dark-haired girl appeared in their sight. Cassie had noticed the duo sitting in the corner of the library when she was on her way to the secret study room and decided that she'd rather join them than agonize herself over Divination alone.

Her brown eyes moved between the red-haired girl and the sandy-haired boy; she raised an eyebrow and waited for one of them to continue.

"She," Remus started pointing towards Lily. "Had the brilliant idea that I'd get love advice from you." Cassie looked at them both before burst out in laughter, clearly finding the idea ridiculous. When she noticed the silence from the pair and how Remus was looking rather amused, she stopped. "You're not kidding?" the silence alone was enough of an answer. "You're actually serious?" Lily glared sharply at the older girl as she recalled Remus's words not too long ago.

"You told him to get relationship advice.. from me?" asked Cassie as she first pointed at Remus before pointing at her self. "Someone who's never had a relationship before? Who's never even been on a date before?" The redhead rolled her eyes at her friend and shot her yet another look, literally saying, _what about Rabastan?_

"I'm marrying him, okay, so he doesn't count.» the girl shot back as she sat down on a chair next to Lily and furred her brows as she looked at Remus. "Besides, I thought it was going well between you two." Suddenly her eyes filled with mischief as she practically sang the next words. "Seemed so at your date." Remus's face caught fire as he glared hard at the girl who gave him a shit-eating grin. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before staring harder at her.

A few moments went by before he was able to form a sentence, and by that time, Lily's glare had faded as she was looking at her friend in pure amusement and surprise. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Remus, sensing what was about to be said, beat her to it. "It was not a date!" The two girls looked at each other and giggled, though the moment was cut short when they felt an intense stare coming their way. Looking at Remus, they could see his shoulders tensing up as his eyes moved around the small corner before stopping. His face paled as he whispered under his breath. "If looks could kill, they'd never find our bodies."

The two girls followed his gaze and caught the figure of a rather angry Madam Pince. Her face looked even sterner than it had a few minutes ago if that was possible, and Lily winced the moment the librarian laid her eyes on her. If the glare she had received earlier was frightening, it was nothing like the one currently aimed at her. Madam Pince moved her gaze to Cassie before staring at Remus and gave him a stare to rival the ones Lily had received.

He gulped as he looked down on the table, hoping and wishing that she would go away soon. Lily scratched gently behind her ear as she too, relocated her gaze to the table. As none of the original troublemakers met Madam Pince's eyes, she immediately turned her glare to the duo's newest member. Cassie, however, utterly clueless as to why they were receiving such death stares, simply held the librarian's stare and raised an eyebrow, watching Madam Pince as she slowly disappeared behind the bookshelf.

"What crawled up her end today?" she muttered as she let out a frustrated sigh. When she moved her gaze from the spot the librarian had previously occupied, she almost had to do a double-take when she saw the two teens' staring into the table and looked as if someone had scolded them thoroughly. "What's with you two?" Thought the look they gave her was enough of an explanation, as the stare they had received not too long ago was similar to the ones her brother and Peter had received several times over the years before the secret study room had been found. "Ah... I see."

"Anyway... I saw James before I got here." The redhead buried her face in her hands. "Not you too." she groaned, careful not to be too loud as she didn't fancy another glare from the older woman. Seeing the curiosity fill her friend's brown eyes, Lily nodded her head towards the boy. "According to him. If James and I ever were to have... children... they'd be the stubbornest children to walk this earth." Her face flushed at the mention of having children with James, which caused Remus to chuckle. "Well, you're not exactly wrong about that" Leaning over the table, Cassie gave the boy a high five while Lily was blushing at least twenty different shades of red.

"Cassie!"

"Lily!" the girl retorted back, imitating her friend to perfection, making Remus burst out laughing. Rolling her eyes, Lily gave her friend a gentle shove, careful not to push her off the chair, alerting Madam Pince. For a moment, she regretted not taking the chance to study in the secret study room; whatever look James would have given her was sure to be better than another one of Madam Pince's stern ones.

"Come on, Lils, it's been a week. How long are you going to avoid him?" Cassie asked as she looked at the redhead before Remus answered. "Not until we graduate, I hope. Besides, he's convinced that you hate him now."

"He's what?!" Lily clamped her hand over her mouth as the words flowing out came louder than she intended. And it wasn't long before a familiar, rather furious looking face appeared once again. "Now! I've had enough of you. Roaring as if you'd think the library is the quidditch stands is completely unacceptable. And you two," The librarian fixed her eyes on Lily and Remus, who looked rather uncomfortable in their seats. "As prefects, you are supposed to set an example to the younger students. If this is you two setting an example, I wonder what in Merlin's name Dumbledore was thinking. Now get out of my library, and you better stay out until you learn how to be quiet!"

The trio rose from their seats, avoiding the glare that was currently focused on them, and gathered their books. Madam Pince stared hard as each of the students passed her, their eyes glued to the floor, refusing to meet hers. Though as she watched the three Gryffindors walk out of the library, she let out a huff, and a small, almost proud look covered her face. "Serves them right." With that, she returned to her desk.

* * *

"I knew I should have gone to the study room instead. Honestly, this was the reason why we started using that room in the first place." Cassie let out a groan as the trio stepped outside the entrance door to the library. "Only then, it was Sirius and Peter who wouldn't shut up." Lily, who looked almost crestfallen, nodded slowly in agreement as they started to walk away slowly. Frowning, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I feel as if I've just got scolded by my mother."

"I wish I got scolded by my mother." Remus chipped in as they walked out of the corridor and into the courtyard. The older girl looked at her two friends before grimacing, thinking back home for a moment. "Eh... I think I'm good."

Suddenly Lily stopped and peered at her friend, "What has he been saying?" Her green eyes were stuck on Remus, who looked somewhat confused. "Who?" Rolling her eyes, she answered. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe James?" He still looked confused for a moment until his eyes lighted up in recognition as he remembered their previous conversation before it had been interrupted. "Right.." he drew out the world longer than needed to stall the conversation just a bit. However, by the look of impatience on the red-haired's face, that was unnecessary. "He told me that he thinks you hate him, and that's why he's been avoiding you." Her face flushed yet again, but not of embarrassment; her green eyes danced with fiery anger.

* * *

The sea of students crowding the corridor parted, clearing a path for the furious looking red-haired Gryffindor prefect, who was currently almost flying down the hall. Her blazing green eyes caught the figure of a certain boy, and Lily was, for a moment, pleased that she didn't have to go all the way to the quidditch pitch.

Stomping nearer, she could hear the laugh that slipped from James's lips as he was talking to a grinning Sirius, whose grin dropped rather quickly as he became aware of the flaming red-haired with the angry facial expression. James, who stood with his back against Lily and sensed no trouble, couldn't help but frown slightly at the terrified look that appeared on his friend's face. "I'm sorry, Prongs, but... good luck. I'm going to pray for you." With that, the dark-haired boy disappeared so quickly, James thought for a moment that he might have apparated somewhere. Puzzled, he looked around the hall, trying to catch a glimpse of his friend, however no such luck. Just as he was about to go, he heard a voice that stopped him.

"Potter." Though familiar, it had been a while since he had heard the voice say his last name with that much coldness and fury. For a moment, he wasn't quite sure if it was the way her voice sounded or if it was the fact that she was standing right behind him that scared him the most. He turned slowly and was immediately met with a scowling redhead. Her green eyes were blazing with anger, and her red hair was tousled as if she had run her hands through it several times. And now, he understood why Sirius ran; the look she was currently giving him was safe to say terrifying.

"Eh... Lily, didn't see you there." His voice came tumbling out of his mouth as he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up. "We need to talk." The coldness in her voice almost gave him shivers. "oh.. yeah, sure!" James's voice was unnaturally high as he shifted uncomfortably under her stare. When he didn't move or say anything else, she narrowed her eyes, grabbed hold of his arm, and dragged him to the nearest empty classroom she could find.

Opening the door, she pushed him inside and slammed the door shut; turning towards him, she put her hands on her hips and waited for him to speak. His eyes moved around the room for a moment, not really wanting to meet hers. Lily let out an annoyed sigh as she saw that he had no intention of starting the conversation. She closed her eyes for a minute, rubbed her temple, and took a deep breath before talking.

"You don't get to be mad that I forgot, okay?" It was as if something had clicked in Lily's mind as she spoke, and a week's worth of frustration came bursting out. "You also don't get to go round, avoiding me because you're convinced that I hate you. Because surprisingly enough, I don't. I might have disliked you before, but that was more on principle than anything else, as you guys used to bully my former best friend." She took another breath. " But I never hated you... I don't hate you. I've avoided you because I've been embarrassed to death. You remember, I don't! I've been tearing my hair out for the last days thinking there was something more or worse that I said or did. Because I can't remember anything." her voice died out as all frustration left her, leaving her feeling drained.

"I... You're right." His voice was gentle and a bit unsure; however, as he started speaking, the words he'd been thinking and the worries that had filled him disappeared as he grew more confident in his words. "I'm sorry. I am. I shouldn't have said what I did that day, and I've been acting like a prat." He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down on her. "I've been meaning to talk to you. I have. It's just every time I've gotten anywhere close to you; you suddenly disappeared, so I figured you might.. well, you know. That day, I didn't mean any of it. I was tired and hungry, and I had spent all night worrying about how to act in front of you the next day. I know that's not really an excuse. But I am sorry."

Lily gawked at him for a moment, not quite believing what she was hearing. She also found it hard to believe that this boy, who she had sworn to dislike for eternity, said those words and looked at her with such apologetic and genuine eyes. As she saw the regret painted clearly on his face, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty at the rant she had given him a few moments earlier. A small smile appeared on her lips, and any sort of anger or fury had all but disappeared. "Yeah.. well, Remus did say once, never let James go too long without food; there's no telling what he might do."

A slight blush covered his cheeks as he remembered several occasions where that had been the case. Seeing a similar color spread across Lily's cheeks, a smile spread across his lips as he stretched his hand towards her. "Friends?" Her eyes lingered on his hand for a moment, and James felt slightly nervous as she didn't say anything, though much to his relief, a smile appeared, and she placed her smaller hand in his larger one and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Friends."

The two stood smiling at each other for a while before James got the courage and did something he had wanted to do for a long time. He pulled his arm quickly towards him with quite a force, still holding Lily's hand, which sent her flying straight into his solid chest. Letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame and pulled her closer. The girls' face reddened significantly, as her heartbeat got louder and louder when she felt the strong arms around her. Against her better judgment, Lily somehow managed to wrap her arms around his waist.

Had anyone told her a year ago that she'd currently be in an empty classroom along with James Potter, and not to mention the fact that she was hugging him, she would have called them mad and laughed. However, now that she was here, she couldn't help but let her smile grow slightly larger as she buried her face in his shoulder and felt him placing his chin on top of her head. If this was how friendship with James would be, she was looking forward to it.


	16. I'll be ready to smack him

"-us..."

"-mus..."

"-emus..."

"Remus John Lupin!!" James' screeching voice rang through the dormitory, waking up the boy who had been sleeping oh so peacefully, until now. Though, feeling utterly comfortable and in no hurry to get up, the half-sleeping boy buried his head in his pillow and pulled the covers over his head. James's eyes darkened significantly as he stood looking down at the sleeping werewolf, with a swift motion he took hold of the covers and threw them off, leaving the boy laying on his bed in just his pajamas.

"You get up this instant or I swear to god, I'll Avada Kadavra all of your chocolate," James said sternly as he put his hands on his waist and glared. Remus's eyes sprang open, he lifted his head slightly from his soft pillow and gave the boy a look so dirty that had it not been for the fact that James was already rather annoyed at him, he would have gotten chills.

"You... wouldn't... dare..."

"Oh yeah? Try me." retorted James as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, daring the boy to do anything.

"Oh please, as if he needs anyone to Avada his chocolate, he manages to Kadavra them fine just with his mouth." Sirius looked up from his motorcycle magazine while grinning, and glanced over to Peter's bed as he heard a snort coming from that direction. The blonde boy, who was currently sitting on his bed with the map started snickering at what Sirius had said.

Smiling teasingly at Remus, the older boy added, "Don't look at me like that, you know it's true."

Determined to test fate or rather his life, Peter, who's only meal yet had been a bar of chocolate that he had been hiding in fear of Remus finding it, jumped over to the angry boy and started jumping on his bed.

The anger faded from his face as he softly shook his head, and bit back a small chuckle as he watched the sixteen-year-old boy jumping up and down on his bed as if someone had propped him full of sugar. Remus never knew quite what it was, but out of the three boys, Peter was the one he never managed to get angry or stay angry at, with James it usually passed rather quickly, while with Sirius... well that was a story for itself.

"Come on Moony, I'm hungry!" The blonde continued jumping up and down, a sharp intake of breath was heard as he accidentally landed right on Remus's left foot. "Peter..." Clenching his fist, he leaned his head slightly backward and closed his eyes trying to suppress the pain that grew as his foot started throbbing.

"Oh, I'm sorry." the words couldn't have left his mouth faster, as he immediately sat down at the foot of Remus's bed and looked at him with a guilt-stricken expression. Even though his imminent pain, the werewolf tried to send him a reassuring smile, though what appeared on his face was nothing more than a grimace. "It's fine Pete, don't worry."

"You know.." James began as he threw himself down next to Sirius. "Frank went down ages ago, we were only waiting for our very own sleeping beauty." Sirius snickered as he added jokingly "Nice one James." the two boys looked at each other before high fiving

"Ha ha ha." retorted Remus sarcastically. "Very funny you two. Now if someone hadn't transfigured my textbook into a wizard chess bishop then I might not have had to sit up until the crack of dawn. So thank you very much, Sirius."

The dark-haired boy smiled mischievously as he winked at his friend. "Oh, you're very much welcome."

Remus quickly looked away and scrambled out of bed before any of them could notice the soft redness that was steadily growing on his face. As he moved to his dresser, there was a slight limp as his leg throbbed gently, though thankfully it was nowhere near as bad as it had been a few minutes ago.

As he stood with his back faced towards the others, almost burying his face in his dresser searching for a decent shirt, he thought for a moment before talking. "I have a free period after lunch, do any of you want to join me in the library?" several groans filled the dormitory causing Remus to let out a small smile. "I think Lily's going to be there."

"She is." Answered James as he looked up from the motorcycle that both he and Sirius had spent the last few seconds admiring. "She's working on the transfigurations essay that's due next week."

Sirius gave his friend a questioning look as Remus turned his head, fixed his stare on James, and raised an eyebrow at him. "She told you that?"

James nodded, through sensing the looks he got from the boys he decided to elaborate. "She asked me to give her some pointers on the essay last night. If it wasn't for the fact that we do need some new quidditch tactics, then I would have offered to help her. Though I told her that I would read through it when she was done."

"Look at you." Cheered Sirius as nudged his elbow into James' arm. "Getting all cozy with little miss Evans." James turned beet red as he refused to look at Sirius, only giving the boy a shove, almost pushing him off the bed. "Bugger off," he muttered lowly as he took the magazine from Sirius and glued his eyes on its pages, finding the black motorcycle far more interesting than the current conversation. Peter chuckled at the two boys for a moment before meeting a pair of amber eyes, the two grinned at each other, sharing their amusement of their embarrassed friend.

"What about you Pete?" asked Remus.

"I'd join you myself but I promised Prongs I would help him." Peter smiled apologetically at the sandy-haired boy though he nodded his head slightly towards Sirius and grinned as he moved his eyebrows. Remus's face warmed as he looked at the older boy who was currently grinning like mad while teasing their blushing friend. "He has Alchemy later, remember?" Remus muttered lowly so the two others wouldn't hear them.

"Right.. I'd forgotten that."

\---------------------------------------------

The time lunch had come around Cassie was so hungry she felt as if she could have eaten an entire hippogriff by herself, it hadn't really been her choice, or rather it had been, as Cassie had deliberately chosen not to go down for breakfast that morning in hopes for getting at least another half hours worth of sleep. But considering things now, she was wholeheartedly regretting that decision, she could almost hear Dorcas's _I told you so_ and she could almost feel her own eyes rolling at the statement.

Had it been any other time she supposed that she wouldn't have noticed it, but the exact moment Cassie turned to Remus to wave him off, she saw her older brother smile at him and tousled his hair. The prefect flushed slightly as he gave a wave to the group and left while trying to regain control of his hair.

Leaning closer to her brother, she nudged her elbow gently in his side trying to get hold of his attention. The boy jumped slightly as her elbow had perfectly hit one of the few ticklish spots that he had, Cassie bit her lower lip to suppress the grin that was threatening to break out the moment he looked at her.

"What was that?"

"What was what"

Cassie almost wanted to roll her eyes as he looked at her completely clueless to what she was implying. "That?" she nodded her head in the direction Remus had left in, hoping that would jog his memory, but no such luck. The older twin looked at his sister with an almost dumbfound expression on his face

"What? Do you mean Remus? He's going to the library."

This time she did roll her eyes, not believing that someone could be that thick. "No you idiot, the hair tousling. A new thing for you?"

"No, I've always tousled his hair, I tousle everyone's hair.. I'll tousle yours." The boy's fingers immediately found their way to the dark locks of his sister and immediately started burying themself in them, messing up her hair. His hands moved at a rapid speed all over her head, much to her dismay.

«No... no Sirius!" Cassie pleaded as she flared her arms trying to get out of her brother's grasp, who seemed a bit too excited for his good as his hands started moving even faster." Siri- SIT THE BLOODY HELL DOWN!" Almost immediately the hands withdrew from her hair. "Buzzkill" the boy muttered disapprovingly as he sat back down on his seat, almost pouting like a child.

"No, I'd rather not go around with a literal birdnest on my head, as you do. Or as James for that matter." Cassie retorted as her fingers found their way to her bird nest, combing through it gently hoping to ease the bushiness and the extreme volume given to her by her brother. Sirius huffed at his sister as he ran his hand through his shiny dark hair. "My hair is perfect, thank you very much."

The girl shook her head at her brother as she mumbled under her breath "You and your hair." Sirius sat there ever ignorant of what his sister mumbled, as his sight was set on the delicious looking piece of sandwich that he had on his place, as he took a bite, a small moan left him causing Cassie to momentarily raise her eyebrow at him. Catching her look, Sirius raised a brow back at her as if daring her to even comment on it. Shaking her head, the girl turned her gaze and took a sip of her pumpkin juice, and returned to her charms book.

There was a comfortable silence between the two as Sirius stuffed his face with his lunch while Cassie was switching between her book and running her fingers through her hair, as she hoped desperately to tame what had become wild dark locks.

As Remus had gone to the library to search for a book for his next class, the twins had been left alone. James had stayed with them long enough for him to swallow two sandwiches before running off to the quidditch pitch, exclaiming that he, as the captain had to come up with some new tactics for their next quidditch game, Peter had joined him rather excitingly as they both had a free period next.

Somewhere between Peter and James leaving and Remus going to the library Dorcas and Marlene had managed to sneak off, without being seen, though Cassie was positive that the two girls had for sure found themselves in a broom closet and were busy snogging. While Lily had been locked up in the library every time she wasn't in class and this time it truly was because of an essay that she needed to write and not because of a certain Quidditch captain.

The twins weren't exactly alone though, as Cassie looked slightly to her right she saw two very much in love Gryffindors who were sitting closely, whispering things while looking at each other with pure adoration in their eyes. For a small moment Cassie envied her two friends, or rather, she longed for someone to look at her the way Frank looked at Alice.

At seventeen she had never had a proper boyfriend, sure she had gone on some dates with some guys that she might have thought looked cute, but she had never had any one of them look at her the way Frank looked at Alice, nor had she looked at any of them the way Alice looked at Frank.

"So I've been thinking." Sirius's voice broke Cassie out of her thoughts as she turned her gaze away from the couple and looked at her brother for a moment before she responded. "How bad was it?" She replied seriously while Sirius furred his eyebrows in confusion. "How bad was what?". The girl shot him a grin as her dark eyes twinkled with something along the lines of mischief and humor. "The pain your brain got from doing something."

He laughed almost mockingly at her before he started talking."Anyway, I want to join your next trip.»

«My next what?» He raised his eyebrow as if telling her _you know what,_ she stared at him before her eyes widened as she thought for a moment that she had heard him wrong. Though the seriousness shining in his eyes told her otherwise. "No. There's absolutely no way I'm taking you with me."

"Oh, you'll not be taking me, exactly.."

"Aha.." Her dark eyes looked suspiciously at him as she narrowed them slightly. "So. Who will I be taking with me then?" Her voice was laced with slight annoyance as Sirius refused to meet her gaze, she waited for a few minutes until her patience had gone, and then she kicked him right in his right calf. The boy jumped slightly as his hand immediately covered his mouth to keep in both a loud groan and a few strings of curses. "Sirius.."

"You know how James hasn't met him yet.."

"I do and I don't intend him to either."

"Well... neither has Lily or Peter.."

"Sirius.." Her voice was dangerously low as if daring him to even continue that sentence, however, Sirius ignored her look or rather just ignored her altogether and continued to blabber on.

"Besides Lily thought it was about time to meet her best friend's fiance, and... and James, Pete and I, we are like your brothers. Your older, on my part, and younger overprotective brothers." He said proudly, at least the last part. For Sirius, in his eyes, being the older twin, even if it was only by four minutes, meant that he automatically had a bigger claim on anything, and since he was the oldest he automatically triumphed Cassie when it came to everything.

Cassie grinned slightly as he failed to mention a certain sandy-haired boy. "What about Remus? Is he not like a brother to us?"She asked teasingly as she searched his face for any sign of redness that might appear.

Sirius looked a bit taken back at the question as he had not expected to be questioned about his lack of mentioning the werewolf. "Well... Remus... "He started before he went quiet for a moment thinking. "is Remus... He's Remus." he finally said.

"What makes him so special compared to James and Peter?" She knew that she was being slightly cruel to her brother right now, as she watched him sitting there looking a bit uncomfortable and a tiny bit flustered, but at the slight of the slight redness that appeared on him, her smile grew immensely. "Don't you see him as a brother?"

"I don't know, he's Remus. He's... different... from the others." He looked down for a moment, refusing to meet his sister's eyes. Though she could see the look on his face, it was like he was thinking about something too hard, and whatever it was, it didn't seem like he would find the solution anytime soon. Suddenly his eyes widened as he looked up so fast, Cassie worried for a moment that he might have stretched his neck or something. "Don't you dare think that you managed to change the subject." He exclaimed sternly as he pointed a finger at her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Cassie said as she smiled innocently at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, as far as I know, our previous conversation was not a conversation worth having."

"Aww come on Cass, won't you just do your beloved older brother this one favor?" he asked sweetly as he looked at her with the most convincing puppy eyes that he could manage. She almost felt the need to vomit at how overly sweet his voice sounded. "That's not going to work on me." Her voice was stern as she scowled at him. "You nor they are coming with me. It's completely unacceptable." her dark eyes bored into his for a moment before she looked away, took a hold of her bag, and stood up from the table, she placed it on her right shoulder and shot her brother a look.

"Look, I'm going to the classroom, now are you joining me, or are you going to sit there like an idiot?"

"Me, an idiot. Why I never." Said Sirius dramatically as he place his hand over his heart as if what Cassie said had wounded him, however, the amusement in his eyes told otherwise.

The moment the two sat down together in their Alchemy class, Cassie immediately regretted sitting anywhere remotely close to her brother at all, as he was currently driving her insane. The first ten minutes passed by rather quickly until the whispering started.

_"Oh come on, you'd hardly notice that we're there."_

_"I think I would notice five other people following Rabastan and me. You are not exactly known for being discrete."_

_"What if he tries something?"_

_"Like what?"_

_"I don't know, he's a guy."_

_"Well as far as I know, so are you."_

_"Exactly, if I was on a date wit-" He stopped momentarily as he noticed the look she gave him._ _"Go on, continue that sentence."_

_"With someone. If I was on a date with someone I liked, I'd definitely try something."_

_"Sirius, who's to say he even likes me like that."_

_"Who's to say he does not. See that's why you should bring at least me. One look from him and I'll be ready to smack him."_

Cassie let out a weary sigh as she rolled her eyes, she had to admit, a part of her found it amusing, though she only hoped that eventually he would take to mind and stop. Hopefully, before it became too much for Cassie. Though that wish fell on deaf ears, throughout the entirety of their class, Cassie had to retain herself from wanting to strangle her brother. It seemed like whenever she shot down his idea or excuse for why they had to come, another one appeared, and she wondered for a moment if he had prepared all of his arguments beforehand as they seemed never-ending.

The minute the class was over, the girl almost sprinted out of the classroom, in hopes of getting away from her brother, however knowing him, he was hot on her tail making sure that she did not leave his sight.

"Cassie, come on."

"Bloody hell Sirius, I said no." Cassie groaned as she threw her hands in the air, shot her brother a rather dirty look, and stormed off. Sirius gently rubbed the back of his neck, as he watched his sister leave, thinking of ideas on how to change her mind.

"What was that about?" Sirius jumped at the voice that appeared next to him, having been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Remus approaching. Seeing how his hair looked slightly messy and his shirt having been button-down a button or two, along with his tie that had been loosened slightly, he immediately knew that the shorter boy had been in the library working on what might have been ancient ruins. One of the few subjects, that made the sandy-haired boy wanting to tear his hair out.

"I've been trying to convince Cassie to let us come with her on Saturday."

Remus gave him an uncertain glance. "By the look of the reaction she just had, I take that's not going so well"

"Well.. not yet," Sirius said as he smiled sheepishly. " However, and as much as I literary want to put myself on fire for saying this, she forgets that I'm also a Black. And if I ever learned one thing from the god-awful woman who birthed me, was that what a Black wants, a Black gets. Considering I'm the oldest, I triumph her." Boasted Sirius as the two wandered down the corridor.

"Ehh...Pads. I don't think that's how it works"

"Oh hush Moony, don't worry your little head with the details, I'll take care of that"

"That's what I'm worried about...Why don't you just let James try to talk to her, he might convince her, or maybe Peter? What about Lily?" At this moment Remus was pretty sure that anyone other than Sirius, might have the chance to convince the dark-haired girl to let them come with her to Hogsmeade, however sometimes when trying to convince either of the twins of something, it was like talking to a wall. You could talk or yell for hours and they still wouldn't change their mind.

"Oh no.. this is on me. It will be Black vs Black."

"You almost make it sound as if it will be a fight to the death." Sirius placed an arm over Remus's shoulders as he responded in a way that, truth be told, scared Remus just a little. "With this family, you never know Moony... You never know."


	17. It's so nice to finally meet you

Under any other circumstances, the sight of the snow-filled village was known to bring a joyful if not happy feeling to anyone who visited, that is, anyone except a certain dark-haired girl. Honestly, Cassie wanted nothing more than at that moment to run back into the castle and sit down by the fireplace with a bundle of blankets surrounding her, as she took sips of warm chocolate that she had managed to smuggle with her from the kitchens, along with some cookies.

However, it seemed like the world did not favor her today; not only had she slipt the moment she first placed her feet on the snow, but her maroon coat had not been in its usual place this morning. When she had asked the girls, neither of them had seen it, though Marlene had suggested that the house-elves might have taken it for cleaning, seeing as there was a small stain on the front's left side.

Cassie pulled the dark brown jacket tighter around her frame, hoping that by some miracle, she would be able to trap at least some warmth in. The jacket was nowhere near as warm as the red coat, and even with her scarf and mittens, the loss of the warm coat was felt deeply, mostly since her pants were a little damp after her fall. But she supposed that it was better than freezing to death, though if she was going to be honest, for one, that scenario didn't feel all that impossible, and for two, at least it would let her escape the madness that was following her.

She wished she could say that the sight of Rabastan, who was sitting by the table they had occupied the last time they had been to the three broomsticks, had brought a smile to her face, a smile that was in some ways similar to the one he sent her the moment he noticed that she got closer.

Rabastan wore a dark brown sweater that, funnily enough, almost looked warmer than Cassie's thin jacket. As she got closer, she tried the best she could to send him a smile, however by the look on his face; it had appeared something more like a grimace. He looked at her slightly concerned and was on his feet before she had even reached him. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment, seeing the somewhat uncomfortable look.

"Hey, are you okay?" his voice was laced with worry as he scanned her face several times in hopes of catching anything that would give him some clue to her bad mood.

"Yeah...I guess." She was quiet for a moment and hesitated if she really should continue talking or take his hand and drag him out of there as soon as possible before anyone saw them. "I don't know how to say this but, It seems like we've had a change of plans." She finally said as she sent him an apologetic look. Rabastan frowned somewhat as he didn't quite get what she was referring to, though as he moved his sight over her shoulders, what he saw almost made him laugh.

Behind Cassie stood five people looking as proudly as a child doing something they weren't allowed to do. He instantly recognized Sirius, and standing next to him was the shorter boy he had met during his and Cassie's first meeting, Remus Lupin. 

However, the three other was unknown to him, or rather just two of them, as he instantly recognized James Potter from one of the pureblood family parties that his family had attended a good few years ago. Though he had grown immensely from the twelve-year-old boy, he had been then.

Next to him stood a red-haired girl, who from what he had gathered from Cassie had to be Lily Evans, Prefect, best friend, and the eternal owner of James Potters heart and affection. She was currently grinning along with a blonde boy that was standing next to her. Rabastan faintly remembered him running the hallways with the three other boys when he attended Hogwarts. He thought for a moment, racking his mind to see if he could gather up any information from what Cassie had told him before he came to the conclusion the boy had to be Peter.

"I can certainly see that..." Rabastan looked at them for a moment watching the enormous smiles covering Sirius and James's face before lowering his gaze and sent Cassie a questioning look. However, he almost wanted to smile at both the helpless and defeated look that she gave him. A small chuckle left his lips as he looked down momentarily before raising his gaze to the five tag-along.

"Well, it's nice to see you again, Sirius. Remus." He nodded slightly to the pair as Sirius nodded back. Remus, however, smiled at the gesture. The older boy moved his eyes to the three other people he knew of but had never been introduced to officially. "You must be, James, Peter, and Lily. Right?"

Lily smiled approvingly at him as she nodded. "Yes, it's nice to finally meet you, Rabastan." She said as she reached out and shook his hand.

Peter was next. Cassie almost had to hold her breath; she could never be too sure about what could come flying out of either his or James's mouth. Out of the goodness of his heart or more like in fear of not wanting to make Cassie mad, he smiled politely and shook Rabastan's hand like a true gentleman. For a moment, Cassie relaxed; if Peter could behave, perhaps James could too, she thought, though seeing how excited James was to come along, she did have her doubts.

James let out a big smile as he leaned forward and took the older boy's hand in his and gave it a firm shake. His eyes flashed to Cassies so quick she thought for a moment that she might have imagined it. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Cassie has told us _so_ much about you." Lily rolled her eyes at the boy as he dragged out _so_ much more than he needed to.

"She has, has she?" Rabastan shot a quick look at Cassie, who's face had gone red with what he thought was either fury or embarrassment, or even a little bit of both. Feeling the eyes on her, Cassie looked up and met Rabastans stare, and she almost felt the need to shove him as the teasing grin plastered on his face bothered her more ways then it should, not to mention the fact that her face was growing warmer and warmer by the second.

"James..." whispered Lily sternly the moment she saw that he was about to open his mouth again. He looked down at her with the most innocent face that he could muster and whispered back. "What?" He smiled, amused as he noticed the small frown on her face disappearing as soft redness grew the longer he held her stare. 

"Nothing." She replied in a little voice that went a bit higher than it usually would. She looked away from him and to Cassie, who just looked at her with an amused expression while she was slowly shaking her head.

Remus almost wanted to slap himself as he saw the love-struck expression that covered James's face the moment Lily had looked away. The boy had, in Remus's book, done an excellent job at trying to be a friend to the girl; however, every time she turned away or looked at something else, it was like a switch flipped in James, as he got the same stupid look on his face that he would get whenever she was near. Remus was almost so deep in thought that he nearly didn't hear Peter speaking up.

"Maybe we should find us somewhere to sit."

"Yes, somehow, I doubt we can all fit around this one." Exclaimed Cassie as she hinted towards the table that Rabastan had occupied not too long ago. The said boy rubbed his neck for a moment before suggesting that he would ask madam Rosemerta where they could sit.

The minute he was a few meters from the group, Cassie immediately moved to James and slapped his arm. _"It's so nice to finally meet you. Cassie has told us so much about you,"_ she said in what sounded like his voice as she gave him another slap, though this was more gentle than the first one. "And you wondered why you hadn't met him earlier. Was that necessary?" She hissed out as she glared at him.

"Ow, I'm sorry, okay?"

"No, you're not." Sirius retorted as he couldn't help but grin at the boy who was currently rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

James sent his friend a smile. "You're right. I'm not." He stated as he looked both satisfied and proud of himself. "Besides, with Sirius determined to be all overprotective and Pete here literally being the perfect gentlemen, I thought someone ought to play embarrassing brother card, besides we all know how Remus is." Sirius and Peter nodded in agreement while Remus stared almost bewildered at James. "How I am? what do I do?"

Sirius slung his arm over Remus's shoulders as he thought for a moment. "Well, my dear moony, you're what one could call polite."

The younger boy relaxed his tense body and sent a pointed look to the older. "I don't see what's wrong with that. Besides, I'm not that polite."

"Unless you know them or dislike them, then you'd kill them with politeness," Peter added happily as he ignored the glance that was currently being thrown his way. Lily and Cassie both smiled at the almost offended expression that was resting on Remus's face, and though they knew that it wouldn't be too long until he denied that claim, they all knew that it was true. 

Amongst them, Remus had a saying that over the years had become slightly iconic. ' _People are nice to you for two reasons, either they want to get to know you, or they want to kill you, so remember to be polite, so you don't get killed. People find it harder to kill someone who has been nice to them unless they are completely off the racks.'_

"I don't kill them wi-" Remus trailed off as a familiar person came into his sight. Cassie turned around slightly and had to bite back a laugh that was threatening to escape as she saw the alert expression on Rabastan's face.

"Ehh... Do I even want to know?" he questioned as he stopped next to Cassie. At first, he sent Remus a confused look but turned his sight on Cassie, who was smiling at Remus's expression.

"I think it's better if you don't." she chuckled at him as she looked up and gave him an amused glance. "Did you find us somewhere to sit?"

"Yeah, just in the back over there," He said as he pointed to the right corner of the pub. "Rosmerta said since it's not too many customers today, we'd get a bit more privacy."

"Considering who we are with, I don't think a bit more privacy is going to hurt us," she whispered gently to Rabastan, who let out a smile. She turned toward her friends as she clapped her hands together, trying to catch their attention. "Okay, if you all follow me, then I'll take you to our table."

The group made their way across the pub, and as she walked between the chairs, Cassie was careful not to bump into any of them or catching her foot in a chair. When they reached their table, Peter and James went ahead with moving two neighboring tables together, giving the group of seven enough space, so it didn't feel as if they all sat squashed together. Rabastan, Cassie, and Remus gathered up a few chairs and placed them along with those that had previously occupied the original table. Lily sat down at one head of the table while James sat down at the other. Remus took the chair on her left side, while Peter sat down between Remus and James.

Just as the dark-haired girl was about to sit down next to Rabastan, she was suddenly shoved out of the way, and a dark mop of hair flew past her. Lily immediately covered her mouth with her hand as she stifled a giggle at the shocked look embodied on Cassie's face. At the same time, Peter shifted his gaze between the two siblings; he couldn't help but laugh at the two complete opposite expressions on their faces. 

While Cassie wore the poster look for a shocked expression, her brother, as far as Peter could tell, looked almost as proud as the day he made the quidditch team or when he finally managed to transform into his animagus. Cassie glanced at her brother's head in disbelief before shifting her gaze to the person she had hoped to sit next to before her brother's surprise, who was already looking at her with an expression almost mirroring hers if it wasn't of the underlying amusement that lingered in his warm eyes.

"Wow.." She breathed out so quiet that none of the others had even heard her. Shaking her head, she lightly took hold of A chair and drew it slightly to her as she thought to herself. 'i guess ill just sit here.' Lily grinned as her eyes flickered between the twins. When they landed back to Cassie, she sent her friend a slightly questioning look as the girl sat down next to her. Cassie just shook her head softly as she rolled her eyes, making the red-haired giggle.

As her giggle died down, Lily noticed how her friend's fiance looked slightly uncomfortable as he sat between James and Sirius, though before she managed to get out a word or even think of anything to say, she caught James's eyes. Who, truth be told, looked a bit too amused for his own good. The minute he locked eyes with the redhead, James's hand immediately and unconsciously found its way to his hair.

 _"What"_ he mouthed to her. She gave him a look as she moved her lips, answering him, _"Be nice."_

A small grin appeared on his face as he carefully nodded his head towards Sirius and replied with, _"Better tell him that."_

As she looked down, Lily couldn't help but let a small smile dance across her lips.

Cassie almost felt as if she was sitting and twiddling her thumbs. The moment the group had sat down, a sudden silence had filled the air, an unwanted and awkward silence. And at this moment, there was nothing she had ever regretted as much as to bring them along.

"Hullo, are ye ready tae order?" The voice carried an unmistakable Scottish accent and made not just Cassie look up from the table but everyone else. A red-haired man had appeared by their table with a pen and paper, ready to write down whatever it was that they would order.

"Yes, we'll take eh.." she trailed off as her eyes moved from Lily and around the table until she was looking at her brother, who gave her an approving nod. "We'll take seven butterbeer to start with at least." The waiter nodded his head as he smiled at the lot and retreated to the bar.

"So Rabastan..." Remus started, "you've been out of Hogwarts for a few months now, how has it been?" At first, he almost wanted to grin a bit, considering how alarmed the older boy looked when he heard someone calling his name, but quickly decided against it.

"Do you miss it?" Peter added to, and though he tried not to, he couldn't help but think that in a year and a half, that would be them. They would be the ones that would never go to Hogwarts again, not like they had done for six years, and that made his heartache.

A soft smile grew on Rabastan's face as he thought back to the seven years he spent at the castle.

"It-it's been different, not quite what I'm used to, but yeah, I miss it. I mean, we spend most of our seven years away from home; we come home when terms end only to leave a few months later again. For seven years, Hogwarts is not only your home but your life, it's who you are, who you might be, your friends are like your family, you're surrounded by people all the time either in the hallway or in the common room or dormitory. You're never truly alone. It can sometimes get annoying, but you have to admit that when you go home for the summer, you miss it. I don't think I could compare it to anything, but it's a bit like going home for the holidays, only this time you know that you are not going back. I suppose one can say that it is easier at Hogwarts. The minute you're not there anymore, things change. Not always for the best." he trailed off as he went silent.

"I know what you mean," said Sirius solemnly as his eyes were almost burning holes in the table. "It's like when you're here; you're somehow shielded from the rest of the world, like all the bad things that are out there cant reach you. You're safe, from everything and everyone. You grow up living like this, and somehow you forget.. you forget how horrible the real world can be."

Rabastan stared disbelievingly at Sirius as he answered. "Yeah, you do."

A smile stretched across Sirius's face as he let out a chuckle. He raised his head and met the brown eyes of the boy next to him. "You're not all that terrible, you know. But I have to admit the mood turned a bit too dark now."

Rabastan laughed and nodded his head. "I have to agree with you on that."

Cassie, Lily, Peter, and James all shared an almost bewildered look as they stared at the two boys who were too busy laughing together to notice the stare they received from the rest of the group. The four students were so caught up in the duo that they almost failed to notice the red-haired waiter coming their way until he was a foot away from their table.

As Cassie saw the waiter who was carrying a tray with seven butterbeer-filled mugs, she, for a moment, feared that he would slip and drop the tray. Cassie wished she could have said that it was because she didn't want him to hurt himself, but to be completely honest, she didn't want all that butterbeer to go to waste.

"Here ye go," he said as he, with ease, put the tray down on the table.

"Thank you." Peter sent the waiter a warm smile as he took a mug of the tray.

"Enjoy." The man smiled cheerfully at the group before he made his way to another table.

Reaching for a mug, Lily couldn't help but let out a moan as she took the first sip and felt the warmth spread over her body. "This is just what I needed. That transfiguration essay is driving me to the bones."

James's head shot up from his mug as he immediately set his gaze on Lily, "If you're not too busy tomorrow, I could help you with that." He asked nervously as he ran his shaking fingers through his hair, feeling his heart beating faster and faster. Bloody hell, why am I so nervous, he thought as he for a moment wondered if he should have asked her at all.

Lily's face lighted up as she said. "Really? I know you said you'd read through it, but you're not too busy with quidditch?"

"Pete and I finished with that yesterday. Besides Minnie gave us a tough one this time, I'd be happy to help you." James replied, beaming.

Cassie and Remus shared a glance as they both struggled to keep their composure, as the sight of the nervous boy was an amusing sight.

"I have a question." Rabastan stated and drew the attention of the six students, "To be sure.. isn't anyone going to take notice of six Hogwarts students wandering in Hogsmeade? How did you all even get here without being seen?"

They all froze and looked at each other. After all the planning, there was one thing none of them thought of, that exact question. Cassie cleared her throat as she leaned forward enough, so she could see past Sirius and met the brown eyes of the curious boy. "Magic," she said. "Why don't you let me worry about that?" she winked at him as she gave him the same answer that she had given him when he asked her the last time they had met.

"Besides, what's life without a little risk?" Sirius added as he grinned mischievously at Rabastan.

"Well, for one, probably safer." retorted Remus as a broad grin spread across his lips as he stared teasingly at the older twin. Sirius met his gaze as he found himself saying, "But what's the fun in that?"

"Not dying a premature death," added Peter jokingly and smiled as he heard the laughs that filled the air. Sirius gave a dismissive wave with his hand, but the grin on his face was still ever-present.

Lily shifted her gaze to Rabastan as she spoke. "I don't think you'd even believe us if we told you." her eyes moved to Cassie as she smiled and continued. "Though perhaps someday you might." Cassie narrowed her eyes as she glared at her friend and, for a moment, was rather tempted to send a sharp kick in her calf.

Though she had to agree with her friend, even if they did tell him, he might not believe them; besides, she liked seeing the slightly confused and clueless expression on his face, as he had no idea what they were on about, but to be honest, his question had been a fair one, and one Cassie should have seen coming, considering last time. Though she wasn't sure if it was a good idea telling him that while Lily, Remus, and herself had used the invisibility cloak along with the map, the three other boys had turned into their animagus and had been roaming the grounds as a dog, stag, and a rat.

They had all agreed not to tell him, at least until they got to know him better.

It was almost incredible how much the atmosphere had changed since they arrived. The awkward silence had been exchanged with laughter, as Peter was now telling Rabastan of the time James had accidentally turned Sirius's hair green and not just any green. According to both Cassie and Sirius, it was a green so similar to the green wallpaper hanging in Walburga's parlor that it made him sick. It was so bad that for the entirety his hair was green he went out of his way to avoid seeing his reflection in the mirror. Though he found it terrible, his roommates, however, found themselves more amused by it than Sirius would have liked.

Throughout the evening, Rabastan found himself smiling whenever they would tell him stories of pranks that had been both successful and backfiring. Somehow their conversation had changed from pranks to quidditch as Peter, Rabastan, Sirius, and James started passionately praising their favorite quidditch team. At the same time, Lily, Remus, and Cassie struggled with keeping their faces straight and not burst out laughing at the overly enthusiastic foursome.

"How long do you think they'll be like that?" Lily whispered to the duo as she watched the four boys. Remus chuckled as he shifted his gaze from his mug to Sirius, who looked beyond proud as he bragged about his favorite team. "Knowing the three of them, a while." He turned and met Cassie. A smile crept on his face as he saw the expression on hers, her eyes shone warm with joy and amusement as she wore a big smile on her face, and relief filled him as he saw that the worried look her eyes had held when they had arrived, were now long gone.

It would be a lie if Remus said that he didn't want to come. He had been equally excited as the rest of them had been, though, the minute they had entered the three broomsticks and he saw the way she looked at Rabastan, Remus couldn't help but think that this truly was the stupidest thing they had ever done. However, Rabastan surprised him in more ways than one.

"He's going well with them, isn't he?"

Cassie nodded at him as she watched the boys before chuckling softly. "Almost too well."

Lily leaned closer to the two as she spoke. "He fits in with them better than any of us do right now, and that's saying something." Remus laughed softly as he nodded in agreement.

The dark-haired girl looked at her two friends as both worry and uncertainty etched into her face. "That's a good thing, right?"

Remus and Lily shared a look before returning to Cassie with beaming smiles on their faces. "Good? it's great!" Remus said.

"Besides, look at the two of them. Who would have ever thought that Rabastan Lestrange and Sirius Black would be sitting at the same table, let alone joking around and talking about their favorite quidditch teams." Lily added as she watched a brilliant smile spread itself across the older girl's face. Her brown eyes shone bright with a happiness that Lily had to confess she hadn't seen much of lately, and a sudden warmth grew in her chest, causing her smile to grow more.

The three students turned their gaze to their now four friends as they each took a sip of their butterbeer.


	18. You do know it's winter, right?

"It's no trouble. I'd be happy to take it."

James shook his head and gave the older boy a disapproving glance. "I'm sure you would. But I'm saying that I can pay too, or at least take half of it."

Cassie looked up at the boy next to her and smiled softly. "Just let him take the half, or he's never going to stop," she whispered so James wouldn't hear her. Rabastan locked eyes with her and thought for a moment before he nodded. Turning his head slightly, he looked at James. "I suppose we can do half-half."

"See, that wasn't so hard." James started as he gave the older boy a gentle pat on his shoulder. The two boys made their way over to the bar to pay for the two rounds of butterbeer the group had. "Besides, we did come here unannounced and sort of crashed your meeting. It's the least we, meaning I, can do."

"Don't worry about it. Really. I had fun, and I think she did too." Rabastan smiled reassuringly at the messy-haired boy, who stared at him for a moment with an expressionless face. The older boy's smile slips gradually as he started to get slightly uncomfortable under James's stare, and just as he was about to open his mouth, a smile appeared on James's face, so sudden that the older one was slightly frightened. Though as he saw the shocked expression on Rabastan's face, James couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," James stressed out, though he visibly relaxed as he saw the smile growing on Rabastan. James looked at him for a moment before he spoke. "You're a good guy Rabastan. Though it was unplanned, I'm glad we got to do this."

"So am i."

After the two boys had paid the bill, they exited the three broomsticks in search of the five who had decided that they'd rather wait outside, much to Cassie's dismay.

"Oh, thank Merlin, I thought I'd freeze to death out here." Exclaimed the dark-haired girl the moment she noticed the two boys walking out of the building.

"Oh, come on, Cas, it's not that bad."

Cassie shot her brother a dirty look as she noticed the black winter coat he was wearing along with the scarf given to him by James's mother, Dorea, on their birthday. Just as she was about to open her mouth to tell him off, Remus cut in, saving the older twin from the wrath of his sister.

"Well, I think it's about time we return to the castle." He stopped as he shifted his eyes from the watch on his wrist and looked at Cassie. "Dinner's in an hour. Try to be back before then, okay?"

She nodded in agreement as she sent him a rather thankful smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Rabastan," said Lily as she sent the boy a warm smile as she started to retreat to the castle with the others. James, along with Peter, smiled at the boy as they both sent him a wave. Sirius looked at the pair for a moment before he softly shook his head as if trying to rid himself of a thought that appeared.

"Try not to get caught, okay?" he warned her as he slowly started to walk backward. As he caught her nod, he changed his gaze to the boy, and surprisingly or rather not so surprisingly as Cassie thought, Sirius smiled at Rabastan. "It was nice meeting you again." A thoughtful look covered his face for a moment before he continued, "I'll look forward to next time." He sent them both a final smile before turning around and running off after the others, who had a few good meter head start on him.

"Huh, who would have thought?"

Rabastan looked down at the girl and raised an eyebrow at her as he asked, "What?"

"I'm just surprised, that's all," Cassie answered him as a small smile appeared. "This day went a lot better than I thought it would." The two watched the retreating figures for a moment before they looked at each other, smiled, and walked down the street.

"You seemed as if you had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, I did. I was a bit worried that it would be a bit awkward, considering who I am, or rather who my family is." His voice got quieter as he spoke, and though he didn't look at her, he could already feel her eyes on him.

"You're not your parents, you know. Besides, they know better than to judge someone by who their parents are." He could almost feel the sincerity in her voice, and that alone brought a comforting feeling. When he didn't answer her, she took matters into her own hands, literally.

"Christ! your hands are cold." Exclaimed Rabastan the moment her smaller hand grabbed his, his feet stopped moving immediately.

Before Cassie had managed to register it, he had taken hold of both of her hands, covering them with his own and drew them closer to his face, and blew gently on them. Cassie could feel her heart started hammering at the sudden intimacy the boy had created between the two of them. Though when she saw how his brown eyes where so fixed on her hands, how he looked so focused with his eyebrows furred together and his hands holding tightly on to hers in the hope of bringing warmth to her as soon as possible, she did feel a sudden heat appear, just not in her hands.

"You know, I've been wondering why you haven't frozen to death in that jacket. You do know it's winter, right?" he asked her as Rabastan gazed at her with pure concern in his eyes. A small chuckle left her lips as she focused her gaze on their hands rather than look him in the eyes.

"Trust me, I know. My winter coat was gone this morning, so hopefully, it's the house elf's that took it for cleaning, unless somehow it turned invisible overnight." She joked.

Without saying anything, Rabastan let go of her hands, causing her to look up at him with a questioning expression. He raised his hand once again up almost to his face, and then he took the zipper between two fingers and pulled it down, and proceed to take off his jacket. He took a small step closer to the girl as he raised his arms and placed his jacket on her shoulders. Cassie looked speechless at him.

"Are you bloody insane?! Now you'll freeze to death." She took hold of his jacket, and just as she was about to take it off, a pair of warm hands immediately covered hers.

"Please, wear it. I already have a normally high body temperature, and I'm pretty sure my sweater is almost warmer than your jacket. I'll be fine," he replied, wearing a smile so sweet, Cassie was almost sure she hadn't seen something that sweet in a very long time. Though what she was certain of was that her face felt even warmer now than It did a few moments ago.

"If you're sure." She studied his face. "Thank you."

Rabastan was rather thankful for the thick scarf he had wrapped around his neck as he was positive the smile she had given him had turned his ears beet red. However, he was most thankful that he had decided to go with the thick brown wool sweater instead of the dark grey he had considered earlier, which was a good deal thinner than the brown. Though he wasn't freezing, he had to admit that the wind was a bit colder then he would have liked, but as he had just told her, he's always had a warm body and could endure colder temperature than his friends and his brother, something which Rodolphus always hated.

"Well, we have some time left so, let us go somewhere warm."

The moment the words left the dark-haired girl, Rabastan felt something slightly cold on his hand and suddenly felt himself being dragged towards Honeydukes, and even if he tried, which he didn't, he couldn't help but let a smile appear on his face.

\--------------------------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, or at least that's what Cassie's watch said that it was, she thought it was probably for the best to get back to the castle. As she wandered down the secret passage, she couldn't help but smile at the day she had had. She had been pleasantly surprised with not only her brother but with all of them, which had made her buy bars of candy to them from Honeydukes, sort of like a thank you for not making this the most embarrassing and awkward day in her life so far.

As she reached the end of the hallway, she dug her hand in her purse and pulled out a folded parchment; she folded it out, found her wand, and pointed it at the parchment as she spoke, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Her eyes studied the writing that appeared, and she couldn't help but smile. As she opened the map, her eyes flew quickly over it, trying to pinpoint the exact location of herself.

"Oh, there's Alice and Dorcas, Lily's in the common room, James and Sirius ar-- what the -- no, I don't even want to know," she mumbled out as she shook her head, knowing that whatever it was, it was probably best if she didn't know.

Her eyes searched for a moment more before she found her name, her eyes were glued to the hallway that was right outside of the mirror she was currently behind, and she felt her body relax as there was no sight of anyone in the corridor or nearing it. Cassie opened the passage and quickly stepped outside and into the hallway, her eyes flying back and forth as they looked at the corners with the eyes of a hawk.

As she closed the entrance, she let out a sigh of relief. Cassie was beyond thankful that Remus had given her the map when they were waiting outside of the three broomsticks, as he and Lily had taken the cloak back to the castle, while the three others had again roamed the grounds like the animals they were.

"Mischief managed," whispered Cassie as she pointed her wand at the map and watched as everything disappeared and it became just an ordinary parchment. She folded it together and placed it carefully back in her bag.

A few moments later, as she entered the common room, she was immediately ambushed by Alice and the two Hogwarts gossipers. They came at her so fast that Frank, who was sitting in a chair by the fireplace, thought for a moment that they might tackle the poor girl, though thankfully they stopped just before they reached her. Their eyes were wide, and they looked almost too excited for their own good.

"So..." said Alice as she leaned slightly closer to cassie and bore a great smile on her face.

Cassie couldn't help but laugh at the trio as she slithered in between them and moved to occupy a chair next to Frank, while the trio followed her like a group of lost puppies. Cassie looked at Frank, who was too busy struggling to keep a straight face at the sight of their friends.

"Are you telling me that you got nothing at all out of the others?"

"Oh, that's not what they want to know." Lily laughed as she appeared behind the couch. "They want to know what happened after we left."

Cassie looked at the girls as she raised her eyebrows and let an amused smile grace her face. Her eyes met Lily's amused ones, the girl only shrugged her shoulders, however knowing her as well as she did, Cassie knew that the girl was just as curious. She just didn't say anything.

"Nothing special," She smiled almost teasingly at her friends, who by all means did not look anywhere satisfied with that answer. "We just walked and talked and went to Honeydukes."

Dorcas eyed her up and down before she replied. "How in the world did you not freeze to death in that jacket?"

Cassie felt her cheeks grow slightly warmer as at the mention, she looked down at her hand and studied it. It was strange that she could still feel his touch and his warmth in her hand so long after he let go of her. Though she had to admit the only reason why she dragged him to Honeydukes was for the chance to hold his hand again, it was extraordinary. It wasn't that she had held hands with many boys, but somehow, this felt different from holding her brothers or any of the marauder's hands.

"We.. eh.. walked fast."

Lily grinned at the poor excuse that came from the older girl, and as she could see the others getting more eager to find out what had happened, she decided to let the girl get some peace.

"Speaking of jacket, I found your coat in the dormitories when I arrived. The house-elves must have brought it up after we left."

"Really? Thanks, I should probably go up and change real fast before dinner."

"I'll go with you. I forgot my wand there."

Cassie sent her friend a look that pretty much said _, why on earth would you need your wand for dinner?_

As she was standing behind the other girls, Lily moved her eyes down to them, hoping her friend would catch her meaning. As she looked back up, Cassie's face still hadn't changed that much, but her eyes held an understanding that only she could understand. As the two made their way to the staircase, they heard Marlene's voice.

"Don't think you can keep it from us long. We'll find out eventually!"

The two girls looked at each other before bursting out in giggles. As they made their way up the stairs, Cassie glanced at her friend for a moment before she spoke.

"Thanks for that, not sure I want to imagine how long they had planned to question me."

"Well, you won't be thanking me tonight," she admitted as they walked through the entrance door to the dormitory. Realization dawned on Cassie as she saw that Lily might have helped her now, but that she too wanted to know, which was why she had made the other girls wait until they were going to bed because then Cassie had no way to run off if she got too embarrassed or didn't want to tell them everything.

"You're evil, you know," Replied Cassie, as she stopped in the doorway and stared at her friend in disbelief.

" And I thought I had managed to hid my horns." She retorted sarcastically as she grabbed the wand lying on her bed and placed it inside her tall boots. She raised her eyes and nodded her head to the bed next to her. "You should probably get ready. We have to go soon. See you downstairs." She smiled at her friend as she walked past her and left.

A loud sigh filled the room as Cassie stood still for a moment, just thinking. _How on earth did I manage to get not only one but four friends who are way too interested in my personal life_ , she thought as she made her way over to her dresser; she moved her eyes quickly down at her wrist and saw that she had a few minutes to get dressed, not that it was any difficulties to find out what to wear. She opened up the bottom drawer and fished out a pair of dark pants; as she sat down on her bed, she leaned forward to unlace her shoes before kicking them off.

When she finally pulled the zip up on her pants, she returned to her dresser and found a knitted sweater she had gotten for Christmas last year by James's parents. She pulled it over her head and hoped that the sweater would immediately do its purpose and make her warm but no such luck. It did help a bit, but considering how cold she had been, she decided that a warm shower was in store for the night, hopefully before she would get ambushed by her friends.

After she had retied her shoes, she cast a glance at the clock and felt her eyes widened. Quickly she stood up and left the dormitory and dashed down the staircase. When she reached the bottom, she was surprised to see that the friends she had left not too long ago were now being entertained by Frank's roommates, namely her brother and friends.

Sirius looked up from his conversation with Marlene, and a smile overtook his face the minute he laid eyes on his sister. "Finally, I was starting to think you wouldn't show."

She shot her brother a look as she walked up to the group as she replied. "And miss dinner? Not bloody likely."

His smile grew as he stood up.

"Come on, let's get some food." 


	19. Can't we just wear robes or something?

_Cassiopeia,_

_I'm writing to you to let you know that your father and I will be expecting your appearance this Christmas and that this year we will not be celebrating alone. The Lestrange's has been kind enough to invite us to stay with them during your holiday. We expect to find you along with Regulus when we come to pick him up._

_-Mother_

Cassie groaned as she read the letter and was rather tempted to rip it up into pieces. She had hoped that she'd be able to spend Christmas along with Sirius and the boys at the Potters, or maybe with Lily, though then she would have to endure the nasty glares given to her by Petunia and her boyfriend, Vernon. At least that would have been better than spending the evening or, from what she understood from her mother, the entire Christmas holiday with her insane cousin and her husband. _Soon to be your brother and sister-in-law, remember?_ A small voice in her head said.

"What are you groaning about?" asked Sirius as he sat down in the chair opposite to her, placing his school bag on top of the long table. Without saying anything, Cassie gave her brother the letter she had received from their mother and watched him as his eyes flew over the parchment.

"Why am I not surprised? I can't think of a single person that can make you groan like that." He threw the paper at the table and leaned back into his chair. "You don't think this is some kind of a setup, do you?" She rolled her eyes at him as she, for one, thought the idea to be somehow ridiculous.

"Like what? Do you think they are secretly planning to marry me off during Christmas? Not a chance, you know how mother is, the more extravagant, the better. If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if they took me dress shopping or something." she explained. Sirius's eyes widened significantly for a moment before a wide grin grew on his face, and for a moment, Cassie wondered if he might burst out laughing.

"What?" she questioned him.

Sirius sent her an amused stare as he bit his lip, wondering if he should give his sister the pleasure of the hilarious thought or just let her suffer in the unknown. However, what he had envisioned was almost too good to be kept secret.

"Can you imagine having Bellatrix with you when buying your wedding dress?"

Her eyes widened as her entire face was painted with shock, and she couldn't help but feel the slight panic arise in her stomach. "Oh dear Merlin no."

"Oh Merlin, yes." Exclaimed Sirius eagerly. "I can already imagine it." He got up from his chair, moved it slightly from the table, and sat down again. He sank slightly lower down than he had initially been sitting and crossed one foot over the other, propping his elbow up on the armrest and placed his hand under his chin. His voice went several octaves higher than usual, and for a moment, Cassie was almost positive it was Bellatrix herself that she heard. "Where's the champagne? I cant manage through this afternoon with less than at least four glasses. Is it really necessary to get a dress? Can't she just wear a cloak or something? It is not like anyone cares." he sneered as his eyes inspected every feature of her face before he looked away dramatically. Though with her brother's voice and his impersonation of their cousin that was so alike it was almost terrifying; she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Bloody... hell... Sirius... I can't..." she managed to get out between her fits of laughter. However, Sirius continued. " Are we done soon? I have people to torture, and these filthy mudbloods are making me ill." A cough was heard though Cassie paid no attention to it as she was struggling to keep herself on her chair.

"Well.. well, if it isn't little half-blood Lupin."

Remus looked at his friend as if he had utterly lost his mind, though he couldn't help the way the corner of his mouth tilted upwards as he saw the position the older boy was sitting in. "What are you doing?" he wondered as he stared at Sirius while strolling closer to the table and placed his bag on the floor.

Sirius gasped as he immediately stood up. He glared at the boy as he placed his hand on his waist and shrieked ."How dare you speak to me like that?! I ought to-"

He didn't manage to continue as the bewildered and perplexed expression that Remus bore made Sirius break his character and laugh. As Remus sat down, his eyes flew back and forth between the two twins, utterly confused about what was going on.

A red-faced Cassie looked up and smiled when she saw her friend, though she couldn't stop a few giggles from slipping out here and there. " I'm sorry. Sirius here had a little drama moment."

Remus glanced skeptically at the other boy, who had died down from the full-blown laughter, and winded it down to small chuckles instead. Sirius moved his chair back to where it had previously been and sat down, resuming the position he had held not too long ago.

"Of what?"

The twins grinned at each other before Cassie switched her gaze to Remus.

"I got a letter from my mother saying that I'm spending Christmas with the Lestranges. And somehow Sirius thought it might have something to do with the wedding, and when I mention dress shopping, he just got this look on his face and got this idea of what it would be like if Bellatrix came along."

Remus raised an eyebrow at the other boy, who only grinned at him. "Why am I not surprised?"

Suddenly something clicked in Remus's mind as he immediately bent down and started searching in his bag for something. When he sat up, he had a white envelope in his hand that he handed to a somewhat confused Cassie.

"What's this?" she asked as she took the letter in her hand.

"Just open it," answered Remus.

She gave him an uncertain look before lowering her gaze. She took out the letter and unfolded it, letting her eyes dance over what was written.

_Dear Miss Black_

_I will be hosting my annual Slug club Christmas party on the 20th of December, I have invited friends and old students of mine, along with some of your fellow students, and I would be delighted if you could come. You may also bring a date if it pleases you._

_I await a reply no later than the 10th._

_Professor H.Slughorn_

"You got one too?" She looked up and sent Remus a curious glance. He nodded his head as he pulled up a similar envelope from his pocket and showed her.

"Lily and I met Professor Slughorn in the hallway. He was most likely on his way to the owlery with the invitations. He gave us ours and asked to pass along yours."

The 20th was two days before they would be on their way home for the holidays, and god knows she needed a break before that. As she reread the letter, a particular bit stood out to her, _friends and old students of mine,_ which meant that it might be a chance that Rabastan was going to be there. She stopped herself for a moment and didn't know if she should laugh or slap herself. She had been invited to a Christmas party by Slughorn, and her first thought was that Rabastan may or may not be there.

"Just relax. He's probably going to be there."

Cassie's head snapped up from the letter in her hands and straight at her brother.

"Wh-what are you on about?" She could almost curse herself at the stuttering that came out of her mouth as she saw the two boys looking at her in pure amusement.

"You're not that hard to read Cas, it's written all over your face." Sirius snickered as he maneuvered the paper ball that Cassie sent flying in his direction. "You missed."

She rolled her eyes as he grinned devilishly at her. "And so what? If I thought about him, that is. And I'm not saying I did."

Sirius, at this point, couldn't help but laugh. As Cassie turned to Remus, she saw that the younger boy, though he wasn't laughing, bore a rather big smile and had a teasing gleam in his eyes that Cassie wished to avoid. Sirius stopped laughing as he leaned back in his chair and propped his elbow upon the armrest, resting his chin in his palm. He cleared his throat for a moment as it had become a bit hoarse from laughing so much.

"I don't mind. I like the bloke. Just try to keep it light on the alcohol unless you want to turn into the girl who wrote the drunken love letter." He grinned at her as he watched a prominent blush spread over her face.

Just as Cassie opened her mouth and was about to say something, a mop of red appeared behind the bookshelf. She must have seemed quite funny to the others as she just sat the with her mouth gaped open.

"Oh, there you are, Cassie. I've been looking everywhere for you." Lily breathed out heavily as she stood in the entrance to the secret study room. Her face was slightly red as she looked a bit exhausted. "Rabastan has not booked you for the last Hogsmeade trip before Christmas, right?" She asked in a slight panic, making Sirius snicker at her choice of words.

The older girl racked her head but couldn't develop a single scenario where the next meeting had been planned. Shaking her head, Cassie couldn't help but feel even more confused at the relief sigh Lily let out. "Why are you asking?"

"Just give me a moment," Lily breathed out as she moved closer to the trio and sat down at the end of the table between the twins. She placed both of her elbows on the table and buried her head in her hands, letting out a deep breath.

Remus mused at her for a moment as a teasing smile yet again spread on his lips. "One would almost think you had been running from the quidditch pitch."

Lily glanced up and smiled sheepishly at her friend. Cassie almost couldn't help but smile as she pictured the poor girl running from the common room to the pitch and all the way to the library. "Let me guess, Marly told you I was down there?"

Lily groan slightly at the mention of their blonde friend, "I'm never listening to her again." she declared as she looked up. One of her palms coped her left cheek feeling the slight warmness still lingering in them. The redness in her face had mostly disappeared, something the girl was quite happy about, as most of the redness had not been for the fact that she had just gotten back from the quidditch pitch but because of a certain quidditch captain that she had found flying around there.

_When she had reached the pitch, one look at her already red puffing face had made the boy crack up slightly as he saw her. Though he had tried to hide it, he was unsuccessful as Lily had caught him. While he descended to her, she took a moment to regain not only her composure but also calm her breathing._

_"Lily, Hey." James breathed out as he hovered in front of Lily. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead as a warm smile danced on his lips. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he looked around the empty stands, noting that she was alone, however by the look on her face and the way her eyes scanned the pitch, he supposed that there was something or preferably someone that she was looking for._

_"You wouldn't happen to know where Cassie is, do you?"_

_"Isn't she at the library?"_

_Lilys eyes shot to James as she gave him a bewildered look. "She- what?" unbeknownst to her, or rather without thinking about it, Lily drew her fingers through her hair as a frustrated sigh left her. "Marlene told me she was here."_

_James looked down for a moment as he couldn't help the grin that appeared. "I think it's safe to assume that you, Miss Evans, have been fooled." He chuckled out as he turned his gaze up to hers. "Cassie's been in the library since our last class, something about our transfiguration essay that she has yet to write."_

_"About that... I finished writing mine yesterday. And I was wondering if you could perhaps read through it for me?" Lily asked almost nervously as she tilted her head._

_James, however, was having a hard time keeping his composure as he felt the excitement fill his body and his mouth threatening to break out in an enormous smile. "Yeah, why don't we go through it together? say tonight in the common room?"_

_Lily smiled thankfully at the boy as she bid her goodbyes to him, and as she went to leave the stands, she couldn't help the exhausted groan that escaped her as she prepared herself for the journey back towards the castle._

"I've had enough exercise this week. Thank merlin, there's no gym at Hogwarts." Lily groaned as she yet again buried her head in her hands.

"Amen to that. I reckon all the stairs make up for that." Remus added.

The twins sent each other a particular look before turning back to the two others.

"Easy for you to say, don't think that Prongs only has us flying drills," Sirius stated, thinking back to all the times, not only he, but also the rest of the quidditch team had returned to the changing rooms looking, as Remus so simply had put it, like a group of pigs that had just rolled through the mud.

Cassie scrunched up her face in distaste as she remembered their previous training. With the help of magic, the quidditch pitch itself had been untouched by the snow for weeks. Or rather, the snow that landed simply melted, making the earth as wet and as muddy as if it was fall or spring and it had been raining for days. With mud covering not only two-thirds of her legs but some of her torso and back too, one would think that James had them on the ground all times and not in the air.

However, the funniest part, in James's opinion at least, was that whenever any one of the team took off their goggles, they would have two clear circles around their eyes on their rather dirty face.

"I feel bad for the house-elves having to wash those uniforms..." muttered Cassie lowly as her eyes returned to the letter given to her by Remus. She thought for a moment before remembering something. "Why did you wonder if I was booked?"

Lifting her head, Lilys eyes held a certain look in her eyes, one that made Cassie uncertain if she wanted to hear what her friend was about to say. "Well, I don't know about you, but I need a dress for the party. And if I'm going, to be frank, considering it's you, I reckon you need one too. I doubt you'd write a letter to your mother asking to send one."

"Even if I did, there is no way I would ever wear anything like that." Cassie felt a chill to her bone just thinking about the dresses her mother tended literally forcing her in whenever they were having or going to one of those pureblood parties that she so very much dreaded. _You must look presentable_ , she said, _like a proper Black or better yet a Slytherin, like you were meant to be._ Her mother had been adamant that the sorting hat had sorted both of the twins wrong; after all, one defective child in the family could sometimes happen, but two, no Walburga had been sure that the sorting hat had conspired against her. Not only was it bad enough to steal one of her children, but it also had to take two. There was no other explanation for it.

"Not unless you were being forced into it." Sirius barked out laughing, recalling old memories of a pre-Hogwarts Cassie running around the house refusing to wear the green puff dress her mother had laid out for her. As the years went by and she grew up, Cassie learned that it was best not to argue or refuse her mother when it came to things like that, so instead of running away, she suffered silently through it.

Cassie groaned silently as she lifted her gaze from the letter. "Why? Is it really that necessary? Can't we just wear robes or something?"

"That's sure a good way to piss mother off. Or have you forgotten that not only has Slughorn probably invited some Slytherins, whose parents are close to ours, but the fact that our brother is going to be there? What are the chances that he won't be interrogated by our mother about your appearance or wardrobe choice when he gets home?" Sirius asked sarcastically, earning an eye roll from Lily.

Remus leaned slightly forward in his seat and fixed his stare on Cassie. "He's right, you know. And if I may, remember the letter you got after Slughorns dinner party?"

Cassie's face fell at the mention of the letter she had received from her mother after the dinner party at the end of September. It had been a rather long letter, with way too much information that Cassie, at the moment, hardly had the energy to think about. To summarize it. Her mother had not approved of her daughter's idea of wearing a pair of jeans and what Cassie thought was a rather lovely sweater, and she could only imagine what her mother's reaction would be if she entered a Christmas party with robes or, worse, pants.

"Suppose I should consider myself lucky it was only a letter," she mumbled as she propped her elbow on the table and placed her palm under her chin, supporting her head.

"I bet if you don't show up in a dress, she's sending you a howler." Sirius retorted.

Lily shifted her gaze between the twins as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "A howler? isn't that a bit extreme?"

"Not for her.. remember the one we got back in first year?" Cassie asked as she looked at Lily. A rather loud groan emitted from Sirius as he, too, remembered that one.

"After the sorting?"

"Yeah. Truth be told, though it was the first time I had met you, I don't think I've ever seen you as frightened as that." Thinking back, Cassie supposed that applied to most of her friends. Thankfully her mother had decided to send it to her room instead of the great hall.

"You think that's bad? You should have seen Peter. The poor lad was shaking for a good while after." Sirius said, gaining the attention of the three others.

Remus gave a tired sigh and shook his head slightly at the memory before adding. "For a moment, I was worried that he had wet his pants, not that I blame him. Up until this day, I don't think I've ever heard a woman scream that much."

"Yeah.. well, you should be glad you weren't around for Christmas that year." Cassie scrunched her face at her brother's words, remembering the fury they had been met with when they had returned home for the holidays.

Lily glanced at the slightly uncomfortable look that covered the twins and shared a quick glance with Remus before she decided to change the topic. At least a little.

"So.. are you free?"

The dark-haired girl stared unbelievingly at her friend and answered. "You don't give up, do you?"

"If you think I ran all the way from the common room to the quidditch pitch to the library just to settle with a no, then you are sorely mistaken." Raising a brow, the girl replied rather stubbornly, making the two others crack a smile. "Besides Cas, you read the letter. You know there's a chance he might be there, now would you rather he sees you in a robe or in a gorgeous dress that your best friends helped you pick out?"

Cassie held Lilys stare for a moment as a thoughtful look covered her face. After a little while, she finally let out a defeated sigh, which made the redhead's eyes widen as a big grin grew on her face. "You win, okay?"

"Oh, please, we both know that it was never even an argument." Lily smiled devilishly at her friend, feeling most proud of herself.

Cassie bit her lower lip, holding back a smile that was threatening to break out. She moved her eyes to the two others as she pointed her thumb at Lily. "See what I have to live with?"

A devious glint shone in Remus's eyes as a teasing smile spread across his face. "Don't worry; I'm certain that in not too long, James will be the one to struggle with that."

Sirius burst out laughing, and this time even Cassie couldn't manage to hold back her smile. Lily was turning redder and redder by the second, something that caused Remus to laugh.

"Remus!" The red girl shrieked out as her hands found their way to her burning cheeks, waving some air on them in hopes to cool them down. But in vain, her cheeks were adamant on staying like that, at least for a little while.

"Oh.. come on, Lils, we know you like him." Cassie giggled out, ignoring the death glare given to her by her friend.

"No, I don't. James is just a friend," She stated stubbornly.

Sirius nudged his elbow in Remus's side as he commented. "Well, at least that's better than being a bullying toerag." This caused the three students to laugh while the other girl sat covered with redness so close to her hair that one would almost think she had covered her face with it. She groaned before burying her face in her hands, but even she couldn't stop the embarrassed smile that slowly but surely appeared.

"Guys, stop it." Lily tried weakly, hiding her smiling face from the others but failing.

"Oh, look, she's smiling." Sirius teased as he poked her gently in her arm.

"That's only because you guys sound ridiculous." She protested, lifting her head and set her sight on her female friend. "Oh, and another thing. How's your essay going?"

"Well, it's going somewhere, that's for sure." Cassie laughed nervously, avoiding Lilys gaze. "Though I doubt you'd like to know where," she muttered under her breath.

The red-haired girl narrowed her eyes slightly at her friend and held out her hand. "Can I see it?"

Cassie gave the younger girl an uncertain look as she took the parchment under her mother's letter and handed it to her friend.

"You can read it, but not comment on the progress I'm making." Lily raised a brow skeptically, to which Cassie just shrugged her shoulders. "You can't rush perfection." She added, leaning back in her chair with a small grin prominent on her lips, ready to hear what the redhead would say when she saw her friend's essay. 


	20. Cassie's dress dilemma

As Lily sat on a chair in the common room, she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander, certainly off to somewhere they shouldn't have been. Or rather, she would have done that, was it currently not for the black-haired boy that was sitting on the chair opposite her, who, with his hazel eyes, looked focused entirely on what he was reading. His face was void of any emotions as his eyes danced back and forth. Truth be told, Lily felt as if she was moments away from biting her fingernails. The silence was making her feel slightly uncomfortable, if not a bit nervous. Finally, after a while, the hazel eyes turned up from the parchment, and Lily felt almost trapt in the stare he sent her.

"Well... it's not bad, not at all. In fact, it's very good. I see all my tips from last time were put in good use." He said happily to her as he handed her the essay. "You did a great job."

The moment the parchment laid in Lilys hand, she looked down at it and could hardly stop the joy that appeared on her face. Having been praised by James Potter, who was by far one of the most talented students in transfiguration in their year, made Lily feel genuinely proud of herself.

"Thank you." She looked up and met his gaze. "Truly. I'm not sure I would have managed this without you."

James's face darkened slightly as he seemed caught off guard. "It was no trouble at all. I'm happy to help", he said as coolly as he could, though he couldn't help but run his fingers through his dark locks. "Besides, you'd do the same for me, I'm sure." He smiled at her, a smile so bright Lily herself couldn't help but smile along.

"As long as it's not transfiguration. Doubt I can teach you anything there." she joked.

"True." chuckled James. "How's Cassie doing?"

The prefect thought for a moment and laughed. From what she could remember, there had been little progress earlier that day with the older girl and her transfigurations essay. Compared to Lily, the girl had only written about 1/4 of it. However, Cassie's introduction sounded and looked a hundred times better than her own had, though a few tries later, Lily managed an acceptable beginning.

"You think she's gonna come to you for help?" Lily asked him curiously, though he only replied with a shake of his head. At least before explaining any further.

"Nah." He leaned back in his chair and continued. "Knowing Cas, she'd rain hell before she would even admit to needing help on transfiguration."

"The perks of being the second most talented student in our year when it comes to transfiguration."

"Better not say that when she's around, or her ego's gonna grow." James grinned as he saw a smile spread across Lily.

"Think you got the wrong twin there. Cassie's nowhere near as bad as Sirius."

He considered it for a moment before concluding that he, unfortunately, had to agree with her. No matter how bad Cassie could be, Sirius never missed the chance to one-up his sister.

"Oh," James's face lighted up in recognition as he remembered his conversation with the older boy during dinner. "I heard that you guys got invited to Slughorns party and that you're planning on taking Cassie dress shopping." He raised a single eyebrow at her and stared at her skeptically. "How on earth did you manage to convince her?"

A small giggle erupted from the red-haired girl as a knowing smirk grew on her face. "It really wasn't that hard. You see, the invitation said that professor Slughorn had invited friends and old students of his. We all just put two and two together and did a little teasing."

"Wha-what?" James looked at her, utterly clueless to what she was on about. "Two and two? what are you on about?"

"Really, James.." she sent him a dead paned look. "Have you been sleeping in class?"

He rolled his eyes at her before answering. "Well, no, but I can't say that I'm all-knowing."

"You know how Rabastan used to be in the slug club," she started, hoping and praying that the hint along would spark some kind of chain reaction within him.

"Yes, but I don't see how that's got to do with anything."

"Oh James.." Lily sighed. The poor boy looked so confused that if Peter had seen him, the blonde would have told him that he looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Rabastan is an old student, and Slughorn said that he had invited old students. The only reason I managed to convince her was that he might be there."

James's eyes lighted up in understanding, though an amused grin appeared just as fast. "Can't imagine that was a rather long conversation."

Lily giggled slightly as she shook her head. "Not at all. She did disagree at the start, but when I brought up Rabastan, it took a few seconds, and then you'd think she'd be waving the white flag."

The two looked at each other before laughing. As James's laughter died down, he couldn't help but smile warmly at Lily, who was too busy calming her laugh while rubbing her eyes, and though she tried to fight it, she couldn't help but yawn.

"How much's the clock?" She asked in between her yawning, making the words sound a bit strange at first. James chuckled at her as he raised his wrist closer to his face inspecting his watch. "Ehh.. a little over eleven. We should probably get to bed, though, unless you fancy falling asleep in potions tomorrow? I don't think professor Slughorn would appreciate it." he joked as a grin appeared. He stretched his arms for a moment before standing up as he gathered his defense against the dark arts books.

Lily felt as if she had swollen an elephant, her throat dried up as her hands started to clam, and what felt like an entire zoo trashed around in her stomach. She had been wondering and pondering about this the whole day, whether or not she should, or if she shouldn't. She did want to, in more ways than she could explain. But that tiny little voice in the back of her mind told her that he would never agree to it.

If Lily had so much had that thought last year, she would have laughed and said that someone must have spiked her pumpkin juice, for there was no way on earth she would ever do what she was about to. And because of that voice, she felt a particular annoyance at herself and thought, _No_ _one but me can tell me what I can or can't do._

"Ehh... James." her voice wavered as she stood up abruptly, catching the attention of the boy. "I was- I was wondering," She stopped for a moment as she took a breath to calm herself. "If you'd maybe, go to Slughorn’s Christmas party with me?" the words left her slowly, which was a good thing seeing as the boy thought he had heard her wrong.

"You want me to go with you to Slughorn’s party?" his voice was laced with slight confusion but at the same time an undeniable excitement.

Lily nodded at first but quickly added. "As friends, I want us to go as friends. Sort of a thank you for helping me with my essay." For a moment, the boy looked slightly disappointed. However, a brilliant smile covered his face so fast that Lily was uncertain if the disappointment had even been there at all.

"I'd love to go with you." He beamed at her before adding in an almost amused tone. "As friends." James almost chuckled at the relieved look on the girl's face, and though truth be told, he did feel a bit disappointed that they were going as friends, he quickly reminded himself that alone was an enormous development since the previous years.

"Great!" Lily smiled gently at him as she started to collect her books and writing necessities. "Again, thank you so much for your help. Honestly, I don't know if I would have finished in time waiting for Cassie to help me."

"No worries, as I said, you'd do the same for me."

As Lily gave him a last smile, she started to wander off to the staircase to the dormitories before she suddenly stopped. Turning around, she studied James as he placed his textbooks back at the table before sitting back down in his chair. As he ran his fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief before a joyful smile broke out, a smile that made Lily herself smile. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all; Lily thought as she gave the boy one last look before continuing to the dormitory.

\------------------------------------------------------

_Dear Cassie,_

_Considering the number of times we've met now, I hope you don't mind me calling you that. Things have been a bit hectic lately, and I apologize for the late reply. I received my invitation to Slughorns Christmas party a few days ago, and I am hoping that I will see you there. Speaking of which, I just got a letter from your brother who asked me to remind you or rather beg you to wear something appropriate. Whatever that means._

_I doubt you'd show up in your quidditch uniform or something like that_ _,_ _if it_ _was_ _that he was wondering about._

A chuckle filled the empty dormitory as brown eyes danced upon the letter that had arrived just a few moments prior. Typical Regulus, she thought but wondered for a moment why he hadn't asked her himself. The siblings had been in little contact since that short meeting on her birthday, though she understood why. Whenever she saw her younger brother, Rosier and Crabbe weren't usually far away, and neither was Snape. Shaking her head, she resumed reading the letter while smiling.

 _Anyway_ _,_ _I just wanted to let you know that my brother will be joining us this Christmas along with Bellatrix. Though I suspect that you were already prepared for that, it was a bit of a discussion whether they would be here or with Bellatrix's family. You should be glad you're not here right now._

_My mother is overjoyed to have some guests here finally and is redecorating the parlor, which means making me her personal slave when it comes to moving furniture. And though I'm not too sure, I did overhear her talking to father about having another pureblood Christmas dance. However, I'm not sure whether my father was encouraging her or disagreeing with her._

Cassie groaned loudly as the thought of having a Christmas ball nearly made her head spin. Her mother was going to be so thrilled if that happened. It was the perfect opportunity to, although most people knew of it, publicly and officially announce her and Rabastans's engagement. That, and the chance to push Cassie in a dress that she would most rather not wear. Well, at least with the girls, she had the opportunity to refuse the dress if she didn't like it. Her mother was not that merciful.

_I hope I get to see you at the party, and I look forward to seeing the others again soon. A quick question for you, do you have any Christmas wishes?_

_Sincerely_

_Rabastan._

With each letter that arrived, Cassie noted that Rabastan wrote more and more casually, at least compared to the first letter. Though she supposed it wasn't really that strange, after all, they were a lot closer now than when they first met. Leaning her head back, Cassie was rather careful not to hit her head against the headboard, something she did quite often. 

Almost two weeks had passed since professor Slughorn had delivered the invitations and a few days ago since she had last written to Rabastan. However, much to Dorcas's amusement and Lily's annoyance, the girl had failed to write anything about the Christmas party; looking at the letter she had just received from him, it seemed that the girls hadn't need to worry about that.

Letting out a small giggle, Cassie sank lower in her bed, landing her head on her pillow. Clutching the letter in her fingers, she rested her hands on her stomach as she closed her eyes, letting her mind drift off to somewhere far away. That was until a thundering bang made Cassie's eyes shot open.

The door burst open so suddenly that Cassie was for sure that if she had been Alice, she would have jumped at least a foot up in the sky. Propping up her elbows, she lifted her upper body, so her gaze landed straight at the door opening where there currently stood her four roommates looking at her with something that made Cassie's stomach turn slightly for the worst.

"What are you looking at?" Cassie asked nervously as she bit her lower lip.

"You, of course. Or have you forgotten what day it is?" Marlene grinned at her friend before she continued. "Or rather you hoped that we would. Well, sorry to say this, Cas, but we've been looking forward to this day for so long now that we're not letting you get away." Dorcas and Alice shared a glance while Lily stared at her friend with a smug smile.

Dropping her head back, the older girl closed her eyes the moment she hit her pillow, hearing only the sound of feet shuffling across the floor, coming closer and closer to her bed.

"Cassie.." Dorcas muttered impatiently as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at her. Opening her right eye, Cassie moved it from one friend to another, catching looks that differed between amusement and impatience. Closing her eye, she laid still for a moment before opening them again as she sat abruptly up.

"Fine.. fine. Let's go dress hunting." She murmured lowly, reaching for her boots that sat on the floor just by her bed, and proceeded to put them on. Alice squealed excitingly as she hurried to grab her brown coat lying on top of her bed. As Cassie tied the last of her laces, she let out a silent breath before lifting her head as she stood up and looked at the others. "Let's do this."

\-------------------------------------------------

It truly was a wonder, she thought, that they had even managed to convince her to do this. That's what had been going through Cassie's mind for the last two hours, and truth be told, she had no bloody idea why she was even there. Lily had found a dress within their first hour, and since none of the others were coming, they had all resigned themselves to finding the perfect dress for Cassie. Since it was a Christmas party, they had ruled out a long dress as it seemed a bit too formal and instead focused on a knee-high, though that was easier said than done.

"What about this?" Dorcas asked as she held up a black strapless dress. Alice studied the dress for a moment before shaking her head and said, "It's a Christmas party, not a funeral."

Dorcas looked slightly taken back as she replied. "You'd wear this to a funeral?"

"Something like it, though there were straps on mine. And I'd use it along with a jacket, of course." She answered nonchalantly as she continued to browse through the dresses, occasionally stopping to observe a dress before scrunching her face and continuing to browse. Marlene and Lily shared a look before cracking a smile while Cassie hid her grinning face behind one of the racks of dresses.

"Try this." Marlene pulled out a dark blue one-shoulder dress that stopped just above the knee. Reluctantly Cassie took hold of the hanger and looked at it. It was a pretty dress, that's for sure, but would she still think that while wearing it? That was the question. She figured finding some more dresses wouldn't hurt; at least it would save her a little time instead of going back and forth between the dressing rooms. After almost ten minutes, the girls had bombarded her with a few more dresses in entirely different colors. The shades changed from dark blue to emerald green, blush pink, dark violet, and a dark red.

"One color for each girl." Alice laughed, almost amused by the number of dresses her friends held in her hands. "Let us get you into a dressing room." She said as she went behind Cassie, put her hands on her shoulders, and gently guided her to their destination.

While Marlene and Alice had occupied two chairs that were placed outside of the changing room, Dorcas stood leaned against the wall with her arms folded over her chest, occasionally shooting amused glances to Lily, who was asking several questions like are you done yet, how does it look, what do you think, can we see now.

As the doors opened, all the four girls immediately set their gaze on the appearing girl who looked a bit amused, especially when she looked down to the puffy mess that was below her waist. Dorcas snorted as she tried really hard not to laugh while Lily simply covered her eyes with a hand as she mumbled softly. "Oh Marlene..."

"What? It looked cute on the hanger. I wouldn't have picked it if I knew it was that.." She trailed off for a moment, searching for the right word to come to her. "Puffy?" Alice, who was on the verge of laughing, commented.

"Right! Puffy."

"I look ridiculous," Cassie stated as she turned to examine herself in the mirror. The dress had, in truth, looked better on the hanger, as it seemed less puffy than it appeared to be. "Did someone use magic to make this bigger? Because I could have sworn that it was much less puffy on the hanger."

"That's probably because it was hanging straight down." Lily rubbed her temple as she spoke.

"Okay, next one," Dorcas exclaimed as she started to usher her friend back into the changing room. Just as the curtain closed, several giggles could be heard from the girls. The next few dresses could hardly be called a success either. It was either too puffy, too short, too tight, or not really that flattering on.

Dorcas eyed her watch for a few moments. "You think we can still make the three broomsticks before it closes?" she wondered as she looked up at the others.

"The three broomsticks don't close for at least a couple of hours. We'll make it just fine." Alice assured as she leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. "I hope." She mumbled softly after a while, hoping to merlin that Cassie didn't hear her.

"You know I can hear you, right?" Cassie pitched from the changing room as she was zipping up the dark red dress that Dorcas had found. Alice smiled, almost embarrassed at the others, who were too busy stifling their laughs. "But I have to agree with you. I'm dying for something to either eat or drink," she said as her hand grabbed the curtain, moving it out of the way so they could see her. "What do you think?" She gestured to the dress, waiting for their reaction. Silence filled the air, and for a moment, the girls didn't speak. They looked almost taken back.

"Where did you find that?" Lily gasped. Cassie nodded her head towards Dorcas, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat, looking incredibly proud of herself.

"You found that?" questioned Marlene as she looked at her girlfriend in amazement.

"What? You doubt my fashion sense?" retorted Dorcas, sounding almost offended that her girlfriend would have so little faith in her fashion ability.

"Of course not. I'm very proud of you." Marlene smiled sweetly at Dorcas as she took her hand and squeezed it gently.

Cassie turned from the group and looked at herself in the mirror. This time she had to admit, the dress was indeed beautiful, and the beauty of it really was the simplicity. The top was with straps that ended in a v-neck, while the bottom was something like an a-line skirt that went out from her waist. It was simple but perfect. 

Thinking to herself, she knew that her mother couldn't disapprove of this dress. If so, it would have been the color. However, she smiled cleverly as she thought of using the excuse that red was a known Christmas color, trying to steer her mother away from a fit.

As Cassie looked longer in the mirror, she knew that she wasn't leaving the shop without the dress, not because it was the only one she genuinely liked, but because of the four smiling faces that she saw standing behind her in the mirror.

"Finally found one she liked, huh?" An older voice appeared, causing the girls to turn around coming face to face with the smiling shopkeeper. She was an older woman with short white hair and a warm smile, which she was currently giving the girls. The girls returned the smile, all pleased and happy that they had actually managed to find something.

"Yes, finally." Alice laughed, and Cassie herself couldn't stop the chuckled that appeared as she really had to agree with her friend.

"I was doing some cleaning, and I found this. You wouldn't mind, would you?" she asked as she held out an old camera.

Cassie looked at the smiling girls before shaking her head. "No, we wouldn't." The girls all huddled together, with Cassie in the middle, since she was the shorter of the five, Lily on her left, Marlene on her Right, while Alice and Dorcas, who were the taller ones, stood behind the trio. As the woman counted down, a click was heard, and a sudden flash of light appeared. As the photo appeared, not one but two came out. The woman looked approvingly at the picture before she handed it to Cassie.

She held up the other as she spoke. "You wouldn't mind if I kept this, would you? I would like to put it up here." She gestured to the wall on her left, and it was first then Cassie notice several photos of smiling girls dressed up in beautiful dresses. There had to be at least fifty pictures on the wall, Cassie concluded; they were no bigger than your standard envelope. Moving closer, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face and couldn't help the smile that grew on her. Touching the picture gently, she spoke in a warm voice. "We don't mind at all." She looked at the shopkeeper and smiled. "Thank you, not just for the picture but for having the patience with me."

The older woman simply laughed. "I know how hard it can be to find the perfect dress. I will tell you the same thing that I tell everyone who comes here. No matter what it is, if it's a dress or something more, don't settle for something you don’t want. Because somewhere out there is the exact thing that you need, and it is waiting for you. All you have to do is be brave enough to go for it." She saw the slightly confused look on all of their faces before she added. "Only you can make your own happiness, don't let what other people want you to do overshadow your own dreams, and never settle for less than what you deserve. I'll let you get change. I'll be out in the front."

As Cassie watched the older woman disappeared around the corner, she couldn't help but think about what she had said. Turning her gaze back to the picture, she couldn't help but smile yet again.

"That's Andromeda, isn't it?" Lily asked as she noticed the picture her friend had been watching.

"Yeah, it is. I had been hoping to visit her during Christmas maybe, but I suppose that's out of the question now." She was quiet for a while before she added. "I haven't seen her for a while, any of them." Cassie felt a hand land on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"You'll see them soon; they're family after all."

Cassie snorted. "Try to tell that to our parents," she muttered as she shook her head. She moved her gaze to the picture in her hand and grinned softly. "You two look crazy."

Showing the picture to the others, Marlene couldn't help but laugh, watching the two girls standing in the back holding up one hand each giving the peace sign.

"It was Alice's idea." Dorcas insisted, pointing to the brunette who threw her a shocked expression.

"It was not." She protested, crossing her arms over her chest.

Lily grinned at the two, knowing precisely that it was Dorcas's idea, no matter how much she would deny it. "We'll duplicate them later?" She asked Cassie, who only nodded in return.

Cassie handed the picture to Lily before returning to the changing room for a few minutes before exiting in her previous clothes. With the dress in one hand and her jacket in another, she walked back into the main shop along with the girls and headed to the older woman by the register.

As they walked out of the shop, there was a soft bell shimmering as they opened the door, and just as she crossed the threshold, Alice didn't lift her foot high enough, making her stumble out of the boutique. Marlene giggled slightly as she watched her friend. "Try keeping both your legs on the ground."

"I did. It's what caused me to stumble in the first place." She huffed back, clearly a bit embarrassed.

"Well, at least you didn't meet the ground. Suppose that would have hurt even more," Marlene added.

"What? Like Dorcas did earlier?" The two girls giggled slightly but were quickly quieted by a sharp look thrown their way.

"We agreed that didn't happen," Dorcas said sharply as she stared at the two wide-eyed girls. A grin was dangerously making its way back to Alice's lips as she just couldn't help but open her mouth. "No. You agreed. We just didn't say anything."

Marlene raised her hand, meeting Alice in a high five, while Dorcas looked as if she wanted to facepalm herself. Lily and Cassie shared a grin as the group walked towards the three broomsticks, in dire need of some butterbeer.


	21. A/N Help me... please :)

Okay so this is not really an update. Its just i sort of have a little dilemma myself at the moment and i have no idea what to do, so i figured why not ask you.

Im siriously considering to change the fan-cast of Rabastan but i just have no idea to whom, if you have any suggestions please leave a comment i could siriusly appreciate it. There are two, or three-ish conditions, one he has to have dark hair, two, i suppose that is a bit obvious, but he also have to have brown eyes, and three maybe have some resemblance to Sebastian Stan (who is Rodolphus) though its not necessary.

I'm also thinking about, or have already decided to, to change Peters fan-cast from Jamie Bell to Dane Dehaan, but if some have objections let me know and ill take it in to consideration.

Im hoping to have a chapter or two posted during this weekend or Monday or Tuesday, and i also made a tiktok channel for this book, where i plan to upload some of the progress, how far i'm with each chapter and when i'll be posting them, i'm also planing on making some character videos, i have already released Cassie's, and i figured Lily might be next, but who knows.

I really hope you can help me with my little (not so little) dilemma, it would mean so much to me, you have no idea how stuck i am.

I really hope you enjoy reading it.

Have a magical day

Love,

Ej Golden


	22. Slughorn's Christmas Party

"Breathe in and out. You can do this." She mumbled as she looked at herself in the mirror. _It's only for a few hours; I'll be fine_. Most of the nerves growing in the pit of her stomach were not because of the party but rather for the fact that she was going home in two days. 

She turned slightly towards her bed and stared at her open trunk that was almost filled with the things she would bring home for the holidays, or rather to the Lestrange's. She did have to say that it was rather tempting not to show up and hid out at James's place or Andromeda's.

Turning back to the mirror, she inspected herself. Marlene had spent a while on Cassie's hair, which now laid in curls on her shoulders, the curls themselves had been conjured by a spell, but it was the several different hairdos that Marlene had wanted to try that had made the clock go.

Alice took it upon herself to do her friend's makeup with Dorcas watched her work like a hawk, commenting on something once in a while.

As Cassie sat impatiently while the others did their work on her, Lily occupied Dorcas's bed as she laid on her stomach, flipping through an edition of WitchWeekly, waiting patiently on her turn to be overrun by the three girls.

Cassie ran her hands down by her waist, feeling the soft fabric under her fingers. She turned around a few times until she settled completely and watched herself. The red dress looked as beautiful as it had done the last time she had worn it.

"You look beautiful."

Moving her gaze from her dress, she saw Lily standing behind her with a brilliant smile on her face. Cassie turned around and took in her friend's appearance. Her dress was a dark green that complimented her hair color and made her green eyes seem ever more green, while her hair was styled simply in soft waves. She looked stunning.

"So do you," Cassie stated, making her friend's smile widen.

Lily held out her hand as she spoke. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah"

As the two girls descend to the common room, they caught the sight of their two friends. Remus smiled when he saw the two girls and nudged James gently in his arm, trying to get his attention. Remus had been somewhat surprised when he found out that Lily had asked James to the party. With all the teasing Sirius, Cassie, and himself had done over the last weeks; he had thought that she would do anything to support her claim, not do the opposite and invite him to a party.

As he caught his friend's attention, he nodded his head towards the staircase. Remus bit his lower lip as he tried to contain the giant smirk starting to appear the moment James saw Lily. He was almost sure that his friend had stopped breathing. James looked pretty much blown away as Lily descended the stairs in a green dress that brought out her green eyes. Remus nudged his friend yet again, this time to bring him back down to earth.

James threw the younger boy a quick glare before returning to the girls in front of him. While the two girls struck a conversation with Remus, James, whose eyes had not left Lily's face since she came down, did not manage to say a word, not that he at all had even tried. He was so enraptured in the beauty in front of him that for a moment, he forgot what they were going to do.

"Are you okay, James?"

He looked down for a moment as he felt a warm hand touch his arm gently, raising his eyes; they immediately found the green eyes he had been admiring not too long ago. Lily gave the boy a worried look but relaxed as a sheepishly and almost embarrassed smile appeared on his face. "I-well yeah, I'm okay." He tried, but on the look of her expression, he quickly saw that she didn't quite believe it. "I-you look beautiful."

Lily looked genuinely taken back for a moment until she gave him a sweet smile. "Thank you. You look rather dashing yourself."

"Thanks." He smiled before holding out his hand. "Shall we?"

Lily glanced at Cassie, who only smiled big time. Reaching out, she placed her arm in James's. "We shall."

* * *

The walk to Professor Slughorns office went by faster than the four friends would have thought. The dark corridors that were usually filled with several students were now empty, with the only source of light being burning candles hanging on the wall. The first person, the group, saw was an older man standing outside of Professor Slughorns office. He opened the door just as they reached him and followed behind him as they entered.

Cassie wondered for a moment if they had perhaps entered the wrong office, as it looked quite different from what they were used to. However, the sight of the eager professor standing in the middle of the room talking loudly to another man quickly assured the students that they had indeed come to the right place.

"Well, there are certainly people here," Remus mumbled. He gently bumped his elbow into Cassie's waist, causing the girl to glance at him. "Slughorn's coming."

Turning her head, she caught the view of the teacher who was currently coming their way, throwing a few hellos, and good to see you again as he passed some of his former students and friends before he reached the four friends.

"Miss Black, Miss Evans, and Mister Lupin. I'm so delighted to see you here." Slughorn rejoiced as he reached them, a genuine smile present on his lips as he held up a cup in his right hand. "There are drinks over there if you want some, and I must say, try the blue beverage if you can. It's an absolute favorite of mine."

Lily smiled at him. "We will. Thank you so much for inviting us."

"Of course, you three are some of my best students. I must introduce you to a friend of mine." He started as his eyes flew around the room for a moment. "Though I can not seem to find him at the moment, very well, we are in no hurry. I'm sure he will show up during the night." he waved his hand before continuing. "Anyway, I should continue my round. I do hope you enjoy your selves." he gave them a smile before landing on James. "Good to see you, Mister Potter."

James beamed as he watched their potions professor carry on his way to the few new students that had just arrived.

"Why do you look so happy?" Remus asked.

"He remembered my last name."

Lily stifled a laugh while Cassie just shook her head.

"Really, James, really?" she retorted in disbelief. James, however, ignored her comment and continued.

"He has been calling Peter _Perrypew_ for years. I mean, it's a given that he remembers you guys and Sirius, of course. But me.. Merlin." James smiled rather proudly at himself as he added. "I suppose I must have made an impression on him."

"Not sure whether that's a good thing or not," Remus commented, making both the girls giggle slightly as James shot the boy a feigned insulted glare. "Though I bet you anything, it's because of the hair potion your father made."

This caused the boy to groan. "Is that all I'm known for? Being the son of the wizard who invented the bloody hair potion? Why cant it be because of my brilliant quidditch skills? Perhaps Slughorn saw me one game and thought _now that is a brilliant player._ "

Lily laughed for a moment bringing James's attention to her. "You do realize that he is the head of Slytherin house, right? I think it's more likely that he would support his own house than any other."

"Well, you never know."

"True, but I highly doubt it." Remus grinned.

Cassie bit her lower lip, holding back the grin that was threatening to appear, and instead let her eyes dance through the room, looking at, well, not everyone but the ones that she managed to see, searching for a certain someone.

A short while later, they had found their way to a table that stood in the center of the room that was filled with several glasses along with a massive crystal bowl that contained what Cassie assumed to be punch. Next to it stood two more bowls though slightly smaller than the first one; one held what looked like eggnog while the other bowl contained the presence of a strange blue liquid. _Must be what Professor Slughorn was talking about_ she thought.

"What do you think that is?" Lily wondered as she pointed towards the blue bowl. Remus squinted his eyes a little, thinking before he concluded.

"Whatever it is, I doubt that we're actually old enough to drink it."

"Oh hush Remus, you know what Sirius would have said if he was here?"

Remus caught Cassie's eye and raised a curious brow at her. "That it looks like the color of Ravenclaw house?"

"Well, yes.." She looked surprised for a moment but quickly shook her head."But no. He would say that no matter what, you should **never** pass up the opportunity for free alcohol. Besides, I'm old enough to drink it anyway." She grinned mischievously at her friends, who for a moment seemed as if they had actually forgotten the fact that Cassie and Sirius were both seventeen, meaning that they were both of age and could drink practically whatever they wanted if they so wished.

It wasn't until that moment that Cassie, as she looked over James's shoulder, caught the sight of the dark-haired boy she had been searching for earlier. Rabastan looked incredibly bored as he stood there drowning glass after glass, listening to some dark-haired girl, who from what it seemed talked so much she could conjure up a storm.

Though he wasn't alone as he stood with Snape and her brother Regulus, who were both sipping their glasses, looking as if they'd rather be somewhere else. Feeling a sudden jab into her rib, she turned her eyes immediately to her smug-looking friend, who looked way too pleased for her own good.

"Well well well... look who's here." Lily practically sang. "Didn't I tell you that he would come?"

"Oh, shut it." The older girl mumbled as her eyes were locked on Rabastan and the girl. She had a nagging sensation that the girl seemed somewhat familiar, like she had seen her somewhere before. Of course, with the number of pureblood parties she'd been dragged off to in her years, it was a high possibility that she had seen the girl there.

"Who's the girl?" Remus inquired.

"I'm not sure. She seems sort of familiar, doesn't she?"

James squinted his eyes for a moment as he stared at the talking girl. "Do my eyes fail me, or if you squint hard enough, she looks a bit similar to Rosier?"

They all squinted their eyes at her, something that caused a few questioning looks being send their way. Cassie tilted her head slightly as she inspected the older girl and concluded that she did indeed share some similarities with her brother's friend.

"If I remember correctly, didn't he have a sister or a cousin or something that was a few years older than us?" Lily asked, causing Cassie to give a soft nod.

"I think it's his elder sister, though I'm not entirely sure. I don't really listen to my mother talk about them."

She turned her focus down to the bowl containing the punch as she lifted a glass and started to fill it. Cassie raised it to her lips and took a sip, letting the flavor fill her. It was much better than she had anticipated, so much that when she had drowned her first glass, she quickly poured another. Feeling Lily's amused stare, Cassie raised her glass slightly as she spoke. "It's excellent. You should try it."

The redhead simply shook her head before she, too, decided to indulge herself in a glass of what her friend was drinking.

Sometime during the evening, when James had insisted on bringing Lily up for a dance, Cassie separated from the others, figuring that was her cue to find a hiding spot before any of them tried to get her to dance as well. She found a nice corner to settle in and silently sipped her third glass of punch. As her eyes danced across the room, she couldn't help but ponder the idea that this was very much different from the Christmas parties that she was used to, though she supposed it had to do with the fact that she was here with friends.

A nagging feeling grew in the pit of her stomach, and it was almost like she had an epiphany. During all the pureblood parties over the years, there had been one reason, and one reason alone for why Cassie never lost her cool, and that was Sirius. It hadn't even occurred to her that from now on, she would spend every party, ball, brunch, dinner, or whatever, without his company. She had to say, she honestly did envy him at this point.

"Why I must say, you certainly look entertained."

Cassie felt the corner of her lips tilt upwards as she lifted her gaze from the spot she had been so focused on for the last five minutes.

"Are you suggesting you could offer me better entertainment?" she answered teasingly as she met a familiar pair of warm brown, who was staring rather amused at her.

"Perhaps," mused Rabastan as he grinned deviously. "Or perhaps I'm simply wondering what a lovely girl such as yourself are doing lurking alone in a dark corner."

"I'm not lurking." she protested, though chuckled a bit when he raised his brow at her. "I'm simply not much of a dancer, and in case you didn't notice, I'm not alone. At least not anymore."

"Here." He grinned playfully at her as he handed her a glass with something he honestly had no clue was. Cassie looked at him curiously as she accepted the drink. Lifting the glass to her nose, she took a whiff of it and inspected it skeptically."What is this?" she asked as she eyed the blue liquid in her cup. It was the same blue liquid that she had seen in one of the bowls earlier, and she supposed it had to be the one Slughorn suggested, though she had yet to find out exactly what kind of a drink it was.

"No clue, honestly." Cassie raised a brow skeptically at him. "It was Professor Slughorn himself that recommended it," he added as he lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip. He immediately squeezed his eyes shut as a grimace passed by his face, making Cassie giggle slightly. "Merlin. I'm not sure if it's too strong or too sour."

Cassie raised her drink closer to her mouth and took a sip. And then another. And one more. Unlike her friend, Cassie's face stayed neutral, something that caused Rabastan to stare at her with an expression that seemed like a mix of surprise and awe.

"I'm not sure if I should be impressed or worried that you might become drunk if you continue at that pace."

As she lowered her glass, her lips were stretched out in a smirk while she sent the boy a small wink. "I don't know what you were making that face for. I liked it," she said, referring to the grimace he had unconsciously made while drinking. "Taking a break?" Cassie nodded towards the dark-haired girl who was currently talking the ear off a rather moody Snape, trying it seemed to stare holes into James.

Rabastan furred his eyebrows together as a defeated look came over him. "You have no idea." he let out a tired sighed before continuing. "For a moment, I wasn't sure if I managed to get away, you know, she talks so much I could barely get in two words."

"Is that Evan Rosier's sister?" she asked as she glanced curiously at the talkative girl.

"Yeah, I suppose your brother should be glad Evan didn't inherit her love of talking," he said jokingly. He looked at her for a moment before he spoke. "I thought you'd be with your friends. Why are you here?"

She looked around the room for a moment, catching the figures of Lily who was laughing rather hard at something that a grinning James had said, while a beet red Remus stood next to them, looking as if he was crossed between wanting to stab James or to laugh along. She turned her gaze and met his. "I just needed a little break. Besides, I was hoping to talk to you."

"Oh, really?" he smirked playfully at her. Cassie rolled her eyes though a small smile danced on her lips. "Well, here I am."

"You're ridiculous." She laughed. "How much have you been drinking?"

He thought for a moment, mentally counting all the drinks he had. "Well... I had two glasses of some Champaign, a little bit of something else, and thi- well soon this." he held up the blue liquid and grinned. "I mean, unless you want it, then I'd be happy to give it to you."

Cassie smiled at him unbelievingly. "You just don't want to drink it, do you?"

"It's too sour for me." he took another sip, and surely just as before, his face scrunched up in another grimace, causing Cassie to laugh. "Are you laughing at me?" he asked as a smile danced on his lips.

"No, I'd never," she replied as she stopped laughing and tried her hardest to keep a straight face.

"Yes, you did."

Her composure slipped for a moment as the corner of her lips started to tilt upwards; however, she quickly regained herself, though her eyes were dancing with amusement. "No, I didn't," she replied as she tucked a curly lock away from her face and behind her ear, only for it to fall back down.

A strange look appeared in Rabastans eyes; one Cassie had not seen before. As he moved closer to her, she found that not a single muscle in her body would move. Rabastan stood so close that when Cassie took a breath, it felt as if the scent of his cologne engulfed her entirely. She craned her head slightly back to meet the dark eyes that were already inspecting every feature of her face. His eyes were darker than a few minutes ago, and something about the way he looked at her made it feel as if her lungs had stopped.

He studied her for a moment, and it wasn't until she felt some movement in her hair that she noticed how close his fingers were to her face. He curled the same lock of hair that she had pushed behind her ear, around his finger before uncurling it. Rabastan gently caressed the lock for a moment, feeling its softness until gently tucking the strand of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered near her face as he took the opportunity to lightly run his thumb along her cheek, feeling the soft skin under him.

He grew closer, causing the younger girl to take a sharp breath. The moment she felt his warm breath hit her lips, her mind went blank. It was as if every thought she had ever had went straight out a window, and she was left with nothing. Nothing other than the thundering sound of her own heartbeat growing louder and louder. 

His stare was hypnotizing as his dark eyes pulled her further and further away from reality and into what seemed like a whole other dimension. As his nose gently grazed hers, her eyes instinctively fluttered shut. His breath left her lips as they traveled across her cheek and touched her ear. He blew softly, making shivers appear all over her body, as he whispered.

_"Yes, you did."_

Words died in her throat as she couldn't help but gaze wide-eyed at the smug-looking grin he bore as he took a step back and leaned away from her, resuming the previous distance the two had held not too long ago.

"Wha-how much have you been drinking _exactly_?" Her voice wavered as she spoke, and she knew that even without having to hear herself, her voice had gone a bit higher than usual. She didn't need a mirror to tell that she looked like someone who had taken too much blush on her cheeks, as the rising warmth told her that she was blushing.

Though he did look extremely pleased with himself, he rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes met the floor for a moment. "A bit more than what I told you."

"A bit?" she questioned him, in which she only received a carefree smile, assuming that whatever his answer was, it was certainly more than he had told her.

Cassie saw a familiar mop of sandy hair moving around from the corner of her eyes and looked to be searching for someone. The moment the boy looked her way and met her stare, she raised her hand slightly and beckoned him to come over. When she raised her hand, Rabastan turned around, curious to whom the girl had waved over, though as he saw Remus Lupin, a smile appeared on his face.

"You looked quite lost over there." Cassie joked.

Remus rolled his eyes at her but still smiled. "I was trying to find you, didn't know you two were here lurking."

Rabastan laughed. "See? it does seem like you're lurking here."

Thinking back to their earlier conversation, she supposed it wasn't much help in denying it now that Remus was the second person to comment on her lurking, though it didn't mean that she wouldn't try.

"For your information, I believe that he said the two of us. Meaning that you are also lurking."

"Well, I wouldn't mind lurking with you," he smirked.

Cassie's eyes widened while a snort was heard from Remus. The boy looked particularly amused while Cassie, who could feel her cheeks warming once more, and wanted for a moment nothing more than to go outside and get some fresh air. Rabastan held their gaze for a moment before he cracked up and started to laugh.

"Is he drunk?" Remus whispered lowly to Cassie.

"I think so.." She replied as she eyed the older boy watching as he kept on laughing.

After a few minutes, as his laughter died down, he looked at the two with a small grin plastered on his face. Although he looked at them both, his eyes were mostly set on her, and Merlin was he thankful for the fact that he was slightly drunk at the moment, or he was certain his ears would have been the color of the Gryffindor house itself.

Rabastan wasn't so drunk that he wouldn't remember this tomorrow, but drunk enough to go out of his comfort zone and do things he usually wouldn't do. His brother had commented a lot that he rather liked the drunk Rabastan better than the sober one, as the drunk was more cocky and confident but was more likely to go along with most of the things that Rodolphus suggested.

"I thought Sirius was going to be here," he stated. The two others started rather confused at the older boy, wondering where he would even get that idea from.

"Sirius isn't in the slug club," Cassie explained.

"yeah, I know that, though he was coming with you." he pointed to Remus, who looked rather confused.

"Why?"

"Aren't you two together?"

Cassie burst out laughing as he said that. The reason was not because of what he had said, but rather the look on Remus's face when it had been told. His eyes widened to the size of saucers, and his face turned several shades darker than normal. At one point, Cassie was sure that he'd gone even redder than Lily's hair.

"Wha- no, we're not- Where did you get that idea from?" he sputtered out, moving his hand up to his collar to loosen it slightly, letting his red neck show.

"Well... Cassie did say you two were out on a date when we met for the first time. Besides, you two, from what I have gathered, are always together, so I just figured..." He trailed off as he noticed the behavior of the two next to him. Remus refused to meet the older boy's eyes, while Cassie turned red from all the laughing.

As she calmed down, she placed a hand on Remus's shoulders and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry, Remus, I suppose this is partly my fault."

The boy glanced at Cassie and then at Rabastan, who, against his better judgment, found the bottom of his glass rather interesting. As he lowered his glass, a grimace etched itself into his features, though this one was much less prominent than the first two. But still funny enough to make the sandy blonde boy break out in a small grin.

"No. I'm not- it was just unexpected, that's all." The red still lingered in his cheeks as the corner of his lips tilted slightly upwards. "Didn't honestly think I'd ever had that question directed towards me."

"Oh, come on, Mus," Rabastan spoke as he put an arm over Remus's shoulders. "Don't tear yourself down. You're a great guy, and every girl or guy or whatever would be lucky enough to be with you. And if Sirius doesn't see that... Well, I suppose I just have to have a talk with him." His eyes darkened slightly as he started to remove his arm from Remus. However, he didn't get very far. The moment his arm left Remus's shoulders, a pair of hands much smaller than his own held firmly onto each of his biceps, holding him in place.

"Oh no, no no... You are not going anywhere." Cassie muttered as she steered him towards a chair she noticed stood a few feet behind him. "Sit."

"I'm not a dog, you know," he grumbled but complied. Cassie and Remus shared a look, and without saying anything, they both had the same thought running through their head. That, if this were Sirius, this conversation would take a totally different direction.

"Well, I'm not about to let you hunt down my brother either. Though I can definitely envision you in an argument with the fat lady as she refuses to let you in. That would have been a sight to see." She grinned at the boy, who only rolled his eyes at her, but still let a smile slip into his face.

"I'm going to get something to eat, maybe see what the other two are up to. See you later." Remus decided. He met Cassie's eyes and wiggled his eyebrows for a moment causing the girl to roll her eyes as she waved him off.

"How are you feeling?" 

She leaned down, so she was at the same height as he was, causing the boy to look up from the floor. He looked fine, his eyes were a little glossy, but that was normal considering he'd been drinking, but other than that, he looked fine. In more ways than one, that was for sure. He wore dark dress pants and a black shirt that stretched over his broad shoulders, a dress jacket the same color as his pants. His hair was ever so slightly messy but elegantly so. And as she met his eyes, an almost teasing grin was spread across his lips.

"I feel great, a bit drunk though, but great," He answered. "The drink must have been stronger than I thought."

"I would have thought that the three grimaces you made while drinking it was proof enough." Cassie chuckled as she saw his cheeks darkened softly in embarrassment.

"It was sour," Rabastan muttered lowly.

"Yet you were still adamant on finishing it," she stated. "Besides, it wasn't that sour."

The grin ever-present on his face grew slightly larger as his eyes inspected her face. "I didn't know you liked sour alcohol."

"That's probably because we've never even spoken about alcohol." Cassie retorted as she stood up. "Speaking of alcohol, have you had your fill, or do you care to join me and get another?"

Rabastan lifted his gaze and held hers for a moment before he raised himself. Even though the girl was wearing heels, Rabastan towered over her short height, which he found rather amusing. He held out his arm for her as he said in an overly dramatic accent. "Shall we m'lady?"

She laughed softly at his attempt, placing her arm in his as she responded amused.

"We shall." 


End file.
